Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Official Hospitality

Alex Davies-Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any social events took place between three or more people within his Departmental buildings between (a) 5 November 2020 and 1 December 2020 and (b) 16 December 2020 and 22 February 2021.

Chris Heaton-Harris: This information is not collected. At the time, staff were expected to work from home and undertake meetings remotely, wherever possible.

Tetraethyllead

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will place (a) Ministerial correspondence and (b) minutes of conservations with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on his policy on tetraethyl lead in the last two years in the House of Commons Library.

Robert Courts: This is a global issue since nearly all commercial flight training involves fuel incorporating TEL since it reduces the risk of engine misfires with potentially serious consequences for aircraft safety. The use of fuel incorporating TEL is widespread across many countries GA sectors, including the United States and many European countries, where it is the dominant fuel used for piston engine aircraft.The Department for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs leads the development of the UK REACH alongside the Health & Safety Executive (HSE). My officials engaged with them to understand the legal status of TEL in the EU, as well as to understand how the UK REACH regulations would work. No country globally has banned TEL. The HSE recently announced that they would not include TEL in their list of authorised chemicals under the UK REACH as they judged that with intensive efforts already ongoing to find a substitute, additional regulatory pressure is unlikely to speed this, but would revisit this when substitutes had been tested and certified.Aside from noting whether TEL would be assessed for inclusion in Annex 14 of UK REACH, neither my officials, myself nor the Secretary of State have engaged either organisation to influence their decision.In response to an enquiry by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association about the future of 100LL the Secretary of State asked his officials to speed up work on finding safe alternative unleaded fuel such as UL91. This is highly technical safety work involving the FAA, EASA and engine manufacturers in which the UK seeks to play a leading part.

Aviation: Tetraethyllead

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the use of tetraethyl lead in aviation.

Robert Courts: This is a global issue since nearly all commercial flight training involves fuel incorporating TEL since it reduces the risk of engine misfires with potentially serious consequences for aircraft safety. The use of fuel incorporating TEL is widespread across many countries GA sectors, including the United States and many European countries, where it is the dominant fuel used for piston engine aircraft.The Department for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs leads the development of the UK REACH alongside the Health & Safety Executive (HSE). My officials engaged with them to understand the legal status of TEL in the EU, as well as to understand how the UK REACH regulations would work. No country globally has banned TEL. The HSE recently announced that they would not include TEL in their list of authorised chemicals under the UK REACH as they judged that with intensive efforts already ongoing to find a substitute, additional regulatory pressure is unlikely to speed this, but would revisit this when substitutes had been tested and certified.Aside from noting whether TEL would be assessed for inclusion in Annex 14 of UK REACH, neither my officials, myself nor the Secretary of State have engaged either organisation to influence their decision.In response to an enquiry by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association about the future of 100LL the Secretary of State asked his officials to speed up work on finding safe alternative unleaded fuel such as UL91. This is highly technical safety work involving the FAA, EASA and engine manufacturers in which the UK seeks to play a leading part.

Driving Tests: North East

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the current waiting times for practical driving tests in (a) City of Durham and (b) the North East.

Trudy Harrison: As of 13 December 2021, the waiting time for a car practical driving test in (a) Durham is 4 weeks, and the average waiting time in (b) the North East is 14.3 weeks.The aim is to increase testing capacity and reduce waiting times as quickly as possible, whilst maintaining a COVID-secure service for customers and examiners. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has put in place a number of measures to increase practical driving tests. These include offering overtime and annual leave buy back to examiners, asking all those qualified to conduct tests, but who do not do so as part of their current day job, to return to conducting tests, and conducting out of hours testing (such as on public holidays). The DVSA has also started a recruitment campaign to increase the number of examiners.

Driving Licences: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce DVLA application waiting times in Solihull constituency.

Trudy Harrison: The quickest and easiest way to make an application to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is to use its extensive suite of online services. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their documents within a few days.However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application and the DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day. To help reduce waiting times for paper applications, the DVLA has introduced additional online services, recruited more staff, increased overtime working and has secured extra office space in Swansea and Birmingham. The DVLA has reconfigured its accommodation to safely maximise the number of staff on site and is working hard to process paper applications as quickly as possible.Together with the ending of industrial action, these measures are having a positive impact. The queues are reducing, and customers will continue to see an improving picture in terms of turnaround times.

Department for Transport: Cybercrime

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what percentage of his Department are qualified to assess if a rail company is meeting the cyber security regulations.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department for Transport has a small team which delivers our functions as a Competent Authority under the NIS Regulations, including Cyber Compliance Inspectors who can review an organisation’s cyber security self-assessment and assess compliance with cyber security regulations. While the total number of qualified staff equates to less than one percent of the total staff in the Department and its agencies, this reflects the very large range of activities and diversity of responsibilities across DfT. Our team can leverage external technical advice, for example, from the National Cyber Security Centre, as well as a wide range of national security, resilience and transport sector expertise across the Department.

Department for Transport: Cybercrime

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what qualifications are required for staff within the Department for Transport to be able to review and sign off cybersecurity self-assessments.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department for Transport Cyber Team has a training programme that sets out the technical skills required for our Cyber Compliance Inspectors, including those required to review cyber security self-assessments. This training programme includes achieving several internationally and industry-recognised cyber security certifications.

Train Operating Companies: Cybercrime

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many cyber incident reports his Department received from rail companies that received a green rating in their cyber security self-assessment test in each of the last 12 months.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department for Transport works closely with the National Cyber Security Centre, which provides advice and guidance to transport operators, including rail operators, to help them strengthen their cyber security and resilience. While we encourage transport operators to voluntarily report cyber incidents, the Government does not place information in the public domain which may be of value to cyber attackers, including in relation to cyber incidents.

Public Transport: Cybercrime

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many reports of cyber incidents in respect of public transport infrastructure his Department received in each of the last 12 months.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Transport operators can report cyber incidents to the Department for Transport on a voluntary basis or as part of mandatory reporting as required by the NIS Regulations. Nine voluntary incident reports have been filed relating to public transport since the NIS Regulations entered into force in 2018.

Public Transport: Cybercrime

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what preparations his Department is making to safeguard against a cyber-attack on public transport infrastructure.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department for Transport regulates transport Operators of Essential Services under the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations 2018 to improve standards of cyber security and resilience, supported by technical advice and guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). The NCSC, as the UK’s technical authority for cyber security, continually reviews its advice and guidance to reflect new trends and to outline how individuals and organisations can protect themselves, as well as providing swift support to organisations which fall victim to major cyber incidents.

Motor Vehicles: Standards

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many responses the Government received to its consultation entitled Future of transport regulatory review: modernising vehicle standards.

Trudy Harrison: The Government received 7,891 responses to its consultation entitled Future of transport regulatory review: modernising vehicle standards.The Government will consider all responses received and publish a consultation response summarising the responses and setting out the next steps.

Large Goods Vehicles

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to create a dedicated HGV driver task force to tackle challenges facing that industry.

Trudy Harrison: There are no plans to create a dedicated HGV driver task force. Cabinet Ministers attend regular meetings organised by the Domestic and Economic Operations [DE(Ops)] Secretariat to agree measures to address the heavy goods vehicle driver shortage. The Government also engages in regular discussions and consultations with the road haulage industry to inform actions to tackle issues they are facing.The various actions we are already taking to tackle the HGV driver shortage are working, for example all HGV driver licence applications are being turned around within the normal time of five working days and we’re seeing hundreds more people than normal apply for a licence each week.

Travel: Coronavirus

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has undertaken an assessment of the number of international travellers expected to travel to and from the UK over the Christmas period 2021-22 and the consequent demand that is expected to be placed on the private covid-19 testing market.

Robert Courts: The Government undertakes regular analysis to monitor estimated passenger demand, including for the Christmas period 2021-22. The Government is also in regular contact with private testing providers about demand and capacity. Based on this engagement, the Department for Health and Social Care is confident that the private testing market has capacity to deliver the necessary tests.

Large Goods Vehicles: Carbon Emissions

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help ensure that carbon emissions from heavy goods vehicles are substantially reduced before 2030.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help ensure that carbon emissions from heavy goods vehicles are substantially reduced before 2030.

Trudy Harrison: The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) scheme supports the reduction of carbon emissions from heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) by incentivising greater use of low carbon fuels. These fuels currently contribute around a third of the emission savings required for the UK’s transport carbon budget, including saving 5.24 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2020. That is the equivalent of taking 2.5 million vehicles of the road for a full year.To support the rapid transition to fully zero emission vehicles, we will build on this years’ £20 million zero emission road freight trials by running a mass scale multiyear demonstration of battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell and electric road systems on UK roads starting next year. These will support the Government’s ambitious and world leading phase out dates for the sale of all new non-zero emission HGVs by 2040 and those 26 tonnes and under by 2035, which is supporting decarbonisation, as well as driving innovation and investment.

Motor Vehicles: Hydrogen

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to invest in the development of hydrogen powered vehicles.

Trudy Harrison: Hydrogen is likely to be fundamental to achieving the full decarbonisation of transport in the UK. Our £23 million Hydrogen for Transport Programme has increased the uptake of fuel cell electric vehicles on our roads and the number of publicly accessible hydrogen refuelling stations all across the UK.Our commitment to expand our £20m Zero Emission Road Freight Trials (ZERFT) to trial hydrogen fuel cell HGVs at scale on UK roads next year will help determine its operational benefits and infrastructure needs and support UK industry to rapidly transition to cost-effective, zero-emission HGVs.

Motor Vehicles: Hydrogen

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to facilitate the roll out of additional hydrogen fuelling stations.

Trudy Harrison: Hydrogen is likely to be fundamental to achieving the full decarbonisation of UK transport. Our £23 million Hydrogen for Transport Programme is increasing the uptake of fuel cell electric vehicles and growing the number of publicly accessible hydrogen refuelling stations across the UK. The programme is delivering new refuelling stations, upgrading some existing stations and deploying hundreds of new hydrogen vehicles.Our £20m Zero Emission Road Freight Trials (ZERFT) are also looking at hydrogen refuelling infrastructure in the UK. The trials will inform which technology, or technologies, are best suited for use in the UK and help to clarify our understanding and identify the potential barriers to the installation of refuelling infrastructure, so that these can be addressed before rollout.

Road Traffic Control

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of congestion levels in areas where Active Travel Fund projects have been implemented.

Chris Heaton-Harris: It is for local authorities to manage their roads and to ensure that the active travel schemes they install are designed in such a way as to take into account the needs of all road users. The Department requires all local authorities to monitor and evaluate the impacts of their active travel schemes. It takes time, however, to understand the long-term impacts of new cycling infrastructure, both on rates of cycling and on the flow of other traffic. The Department has commissioned a formal national evaluation of the Active Travel Fund (ATF) which will consider this matter in some detail. A baseline report of schemes selected for evaluation is scheduled to be received by the Department in December 2022. This will be followed by a final report in late 2024.

Roads Policing Review

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the Government's response to the Roads Policing Review Call for Evidence.

Trudy Harrison: The call for evidence saw 149 responses submitted, many of which were incredibly detailed and extremely thorough. The Government is giving due consideration to this wealth of material.

Driving under Influence

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much the Government has spent on anti-drink driving campaigns in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021 as of 9 December 2021.

Trudy Harrison: In 2019, the Government spent £1,111,071.86 on anti-drink driving campaigns.In 2020, the Government spent £177,014.73 on anti-drink driving campaigns. It is worth noting that during this period, communications were influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on hospitality. With the pause in pub socialising, campaigns prioritised other emerging issues such as the increase in speeding seen in the first national lockdown and mobile phone use at the wheel, as well as travelling safely during the pandemic.In 2021, total planned expenditure for drink drive campaigns comes to £963,609.38, of which £411,117.45 has been spent so far.

Contact Tracing: Travel Requirements

James Sunderland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason air crew are exempt from filling in a passenger locator form, in the context of increasing prevalence of the omicron variant of covid-19.

Robert Courts: Aircraft pilots and crew are not required to complete a PLF as the UK Health Security Agency has introduced separate contact tracing protocols for this cohort of transport workers.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Official Hospitality

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether any social events took place between three or more people within his Departmental buildings between (a) 5 November 2020 and 1 December 2020 and (b) 16 December 2020 and 22 February 2021.

George Freeman: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason the Government is selling the Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre.

George Freeman: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Nuclear Power: Fuels

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will commit to using UK fuel for reactors in the UK and provide certainty to organisations through the nuclear supply chain.

Greg Hands: The UK is a world leader in the nuclear fuel cycle, and this is testament to the highly skilled workforce currently employed at the Springfields and Capenhurst sites, and the wider UK supply chain. Earlier this month, I visited Springfields to see first-hand the important work taking place, including at the Oxide Fuels Complex. The Government recognises the importance of continued commercial operation of such facilities to deliver low carbon energy. In the recent Spending Review we confirmed up to £75 million, to be used alongside sector co-investment, to preserve and develop the UK’s nuclear fuel production capability. With this funding we will move a programme forward to address all our fuel-related priorities, helping to develop the UK fuel supply chain to power the reactors of today and advanced nuclear in the future.

Fuel Poverty: Pensioners

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of pensioners at risk of fuel poverty following the increase in the energy price cap in (a) October 2021 and (b) April 2022.

Greg Hands: The Government has produced fuel poverty projections for 2021 which are published in the annual fuel poverty statistics projections report.https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-statistics The energy price cap from 1 April 2022 will be announced by Ofgem next year.

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department set targets for the number of households that will apply for Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive for (a) biomass boilers, (b) solar water heating and (c) heat pumps.

Greg Hands: The Department does not set targets for the number of households that will apply for the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive. However, as of October 2021, there have been 12,364 biomass applications, 8,952 solar thermal applications, and 74,960 heat pump applications for the scheme.

Hydrogen

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to finalise hydrogen business models; and when he plans to publish those models.

Greg Hands: The Government has consulted on a business model to provide revenue support to low carbon hydrogen production plants. Revenue support is needed to close the cost gap between producing low carbon hydrogen and counterfactual higher carbon fuels to unlock investment in hydrogen projects. The Government is analysing stakeholder responses to the consultation and aims to publish the Government response in Q1 2022 alongside indicative Heads of Terms for the business model contract. The Government aims to finalise the business model in 2022.

Housing: Energy

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to (a) increase investment in the retrofit market and (b) create a sustainable supply chain, jobs, and skills in that sector.

Greg Hands: In the Heat and Buildings Strategy, the Government set out a clear long-term framework to enable industry to invest. The Government set out the actions it will take to reduce emissions from buildings in the near term and deliver the transition to low-carbon heating. The Government has also put in place minimum energy performance standards in the private rented sector. In the Energy White Paper, the Government committed to seek primary powers to enable regulatory measures to improve the energy performance of owner-occupied homes. The Government wants landlords and homeowners to invest in retrofitting. The Government recognises the need for a skilled, competent and robust supply chain to deliver the necessary improvements to buildings to meet our net zero targets. In September 2020 the Government launched a £6.9million Skills Training Competition to provide up to 8,000 training opportunities for the energy efficiency and low carbon heating supply chains. Government is exploring further options to work with the industry to encourage training in key skills shortage areas and new routes of entry to increase capacity.

Housing: Energy

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what lessons his Department has learned from the Green Homes Grant for the development of future retrofit incentive schemes.

Greg Hands: The Government is considering the National Audit Office report on the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme and its recommendations. This will inform approach to existing and future schemes, as part of the UK’s £9 billion commitment to improving energy efficiency.

Housing: Energy

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government will take to ensure that an EPC regime based on real performance informs the retrofit strategies of all homes that need upgrading before 2035.

Greg Hands: In September 2020, the Government published an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Action Plan detailing a series of commitments to maximise the effectiveness of EPCs as a tool for improving the energy performance of buildings. These commitments culminate to deliver the following three outcomes: an EPC system that produces accurate, reliable, and trusted EPCs, an EPC that engages consumers and supports policy to drive action, and data infrastructure fit for the future of EPCs. In November, the Government published a progress report detailing the significant work undertaken thus far in delivering the commitments within the Action Plan. This included progressing work to develop the next iteration of the underlying Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) methodology, SAP 11, to improve the accuracy of EPCs. A range of measures are being considered, including options for integrating Smart Meter Enabled Thermal Efficiency Ratings, to bring the measurement of energy performance closer to the in-use performance of the building.

Housing: Energy

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how the Government intends to build on its strategies in the Path to Zero and Heat and Building to deliver UK energy-efficient homes.

Greg Hands: As set out in the recently published Heat and Buildings Strategy, Government have set a target for as many homes as is practical and affordable to reach EPC C by 2035. The Government is using a range of measures to improve energy performance, including providing targeted funding where it is needed most, in particular fuel poor and lower income households. The Government announced a further £1.75 billion of new funding over the next 3 years for retrofitting homes, as well as a commitment to extend the Energy Company Obligation at £1 billion per year to 2026. The Government is also introducing a new Boiler Upgrade Scheme of £450 million to help people make the switch to energy efficient, low carbon heating systems. In addition to a range of grant funding and subsidies, the Government is working with industry to catalyse the green finance market, ensuring that consumers will have a range of affordable, appropriate finance options to support the transition to low carbon heating. This includes supporting innovation for green finance innovation, and consulting on setting requirements for mortgage lenders.

Nuclear Power: Hydrogen

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what policy framework his Department plans to implement to support the development of modular reactors to ensure that nuclear energy is part of a low-carbon hydrogen production mix.

Greg Hands: My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution included a commitment of up to £385 million for an Advanced Nuclear Fund to develop a domestic Small Modular Reactor (SMR) design and to demonstrate innovative Advanced Modular Reactors (AMR) by the early 2030s. Both of these reactor technologies have the potential to produce low carbon hydrogen using electricity and/or heat via increasingly efficient electrolysis, or in the case of AMRs via higher temperature additional production routes.

Nuclear Power: Hydrogen

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to increase the production of green hydrogen from nuclear energy.

Greg Hands: In the Hydrogen Strategy, the Government noted that both existing and future nuclear technologies have the potential to provide low-carbon hydrogen. The Government consulted in 2021 on a range of policies to support low-carbon hydrogen production and will publish relevant responses in 2022.

Minerals: Supply Chains

Cherilyn Mackrory: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government has taken to develop (a) upstream, (b) midstream and (c) downstream sections of the critical minerals supply chain in the UK.

Greg Hands: Upstream, midstream and downstream sections of the critical minerals supply chain have all been – and will continue to be – supported through a number of Government initiatives. For example, the 10 Point Plan announced £500 million to support the electrification of vehicles and their supply chains, and other strategically important technologies including critical mineral processing, through the Automotive Transformation Fund. Other specific examples of the UK’s extensive work in this area include the Driving the Electric Revolution Challenge, which is investing £80 million in electrification technologies. This includes projects relating to the recovery and recycling of Rare Earth Elements, and activities to facilitate the development of Rare Earth Element magnet supply chains in the UK. Going forward, the Government will publish a UK Critical Minerals Strategy in 2022, setting out our approach to securing the technology-critical minerals and metals. Our stated aims include to ensure the UK has a reliable supply of critical minerals and metals, and to establish an enabling environment for growing the sector in the UK.

Manufacturing Industries: Costs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to help manufacturing companies manage rising costs of (a) raw materials and (b) energy.

Lee Rowley: Most of the shortages of products and raw materials impacting the market have been driven by global and domestic supply and demand factors. Industry experts believe that the current situation is temporary, although projections indicate that strong demand will continue over the next six months. The Government recognises that this is a worrying time for businesses facing pressures due to increases in global gas prices. The Department is engaging regularly with manufacturers to monitor the impact of rising energy and raw material prices on them and consider possible mitigations.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government's contract for covid-19 vaccines with Pfizer includes an Investor State Dispute Settlement clause.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Alcoholic Drinks: Health Education

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the Government has spent on alcohol awareness campaigns in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021 as of 9 December.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Nurses

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has held with NHS England on the specialised recruitment of mental health nurses.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which hospital trusts are providing covid-19 vaccinations at antenatal clinics; and from what date each of those clinics began providing those vaccinations.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the AstraZeneca vaccine is being phased out; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of all UK vaccines issued that are AstraZeneca.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Drugs

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the announcement of 8 December 2021 on the PANORAMIC trial, UK's most vulnerable people to receive life-saving covid-19 treatments in the community, if he will make it his policy to allow clinically vulnerable people to register their willingness to participate in the study with their GP, in advance of either displaying symptoms of covid-19, or receiving a positive PCR test result.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Travel: Coronavirus

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will implement measures to ensure that convalescent covid-19 positive travellers are not disadvantaged by the Government's covid-19 travel testing requirements; and if he will make a statement.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason people with natural immunity to covid-19 have not been treated as equal to those who have been fully vaccinated; and if he will make a statement.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason vaccination passports will be used as criterion for entry to (a) indoor spaces and (b) large outdoor gatherings when those who have been vaccinated can still transmit covid-19.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason face masks are not required in all indoor spaces.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) provision of (i) uniforms and (ii) winter uniforms by the employer and (b) other working conditions at covid testing centres under contract to his Department.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Alcoholic Drinks: Rehabilitation

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Policy paper entitled From harm to hope: A 10-year drugs plan to cut crime and save lives published on 6 December 2021, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of producing an alcohol strategy.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Substance misuse treatment for adults: statistics 2020 to 2021 published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities on 25 November 2021.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Care Homes and Hospitals: Visits

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure that visits to (a) NHS appointments, (b) family members of patients in hospitals and (c) people in care homes are in accordance with provisions of the Human Rights Act 1998.

Edward Argar: All public authorities, including those who have responsibility for National Health Service appointments, have a legal duty to act compatibly with the Human Rights Act 1998. The guidance for visiting healthcare inpatient settings has been regularly updated in line with the former Public Health England’s advice. An equality and health impact assessment was undertaken on the aspects relating to protected characteristics and groups who face health inequalities. While the Human Rights Act 1998 was not specifically reviewed, the guidance ensures the health, safety and wellbeing of patients, communities, individuals and teams. This includes a balance between the duty to protect and promote care home residents’ right to life and family life and enable meaningful visits while ensuring residents are protected. This guidance has been informed by clinical advice and data.

Trodelvy

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations he has made to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on delays to the expected approval of Sacituzumab Govitecan, brand Trodelvy, for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

Edward Argar: We have made no such representations. Trodelvy (sacituzumab govitecan) was licensed for use by the Medicines and Health Care products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the treatment of adult patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic triple negative breast cancer through Project Orbis in August 2021. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is appraising Trodelvy to determine its clinical and cost-effectiveness for use in the National Health Service. Following discussion with the manufacturer of Trodelvy, NICE has accelerated its appraisal and now expects to issue guidance in June 2022, with draft guidance expected in spring 2022.The MHRA, NICE and NHS England and NHS Improvement are ensuring that there is a co-ordinated timely approach to supporting access for NHS patients to products licensed through Project Orbis. NHS England and NHS Improvement and NICE have agreed principles to allow potential interim access to medicines ahead of NICE guidance and are working with the manufacturer to explore options for interim access to Trodelvy.

Ambulance Services: Emergency Calls

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the longest waiting time for a 999 call to be answered by each ambulance service (a) from 1 to 15 October 2021 and (b) for the latest period for which data is available.

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the average response times for each ambulance category by month from April to September 2021.

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the number of ambulance handover delays by trust since 1 April 2021.

Edward Argar: Information on the longest waiting time for a 999 call to be answered by each ambulance service is not routinely collected centrally. Information on the number of ambulance handover delays by trust since 1 April 2021 is not available in the format requested, as the information is not routinely collected centrally outside of the winter period. The following table shows the mean average response times in hours, minutes and seconds for each ambulance category in each month from April to September 2021.Category 1Category 2Category 3Category 4April07:0020:1659:21:0001:45:36May07:2524:35:0001:24:2202:31:44June07:5430:42:0001:54:4002:30:34July08:3341:04:0002:33:4302:57:40August08:2838:39:0002:14:2402:39:44September09:0145:30:0002:35:4503:07:45 Source: Statistics » Ambulance Quality Indicators (england.nhs.uk)

Health Education England: Finance

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to announce the detailed funding allocation for Health Education England.

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph 2.17 of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, how much funding will be allocated specifically to the NHS workforce; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Argar: Following the outcome of the 2021 Spending Review, spending plans for individual budgets, including for Health Education England (HEE) and the National Health Service workforce from 2022/23 to 2024/25 will be subject to a detailed financial planning exercise and finalised in due course. HEE’s budget for 2022/23 will be announced prior to the start of the next financial year.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ask NICE to undertake an analysis of whether its proposed new methods for assessing medicines will improve the access of NHS patients to new treatment in comparison to other developed countries in Europe.

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NICE Methods Review, if he will hold discussions with NICE in the event that its new methods for appraising medicines impact on the number of patients receiving access to promising treatments.

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will hold discussions with NICE on ensuring that their Methods Review achieves the Government's commitment for life sciences as set out in the Life Sciences Vision, published in July 2021.

Edward Argar: Departmental officials regularly discuss a range of issues with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), including the ongoing methods and process review.NICE recommends the vast majority of medicines it appraises. It has consulted on proposed changes to its methods and processes which will ensure it retains global leadership in the evaluation of new medicines and technologies and provides more equitable access for patients with severe diseases. NICE has undertaken analysis of the impact of its proposed methods in developing the proposals.NICE is proposing a number of changes to ensure its methods and process are fairer, more consistent and accelerate the introduction of emerging new types of technology. This will support the Life Sciences Vision’s commitment to make the United Kingdom the best place in the world to develop, trial, launch and adopt innovative new medicines, improving patient access to medicines.

Migraines: Drugs

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to help ensure eligible people with migraines can access NICE-approved calcitonin gene-related peptide antibody medicines.

Edward Argar: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidance recommending erenumab, galcanezumab and fremanezumab, all of which are calcitonin gene-related peptide antibody medicines, for preventing migraine in adults for routine funding in the National Health Service in England, subject to specified criteria. NHS England is legally required to fund medicines recommended in a NICE technology appraisal, usually within three months of final guidance. This funding requirement ensures that there is consistency of access for to NICE recommended medicines. The NHS Constitution states that patients have the right to drugs and treatments recommended by NICE for use in the NHS, if their doctor believes they are clinically appropriate.

Innovate Healthcare Services

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of NHS Improvement's adherence to the Addendum to the transactions guidance for trusts forming or changing a subsidiary in relation to the changes to Innovate Healthcare Services, a subsidiary company of South Warwickshire FT.

Edward Argar: South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust has engaged with NHS England and NHS Improvement on plans to move some services and staff to the subsidiary company. The proposal meets the criteria to be reportable under the addendum guidance. NHS England and NHS Improvement’s review has not been finalised and additional information has been requested from the Trust. A final decision will be communicated to the Trust once the review process has completed.

In-FACT

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Ministers in his Department will meet with hon. Members and INFACT to discuss the impact of Sodium Valproate in pregnancy; and for what reason Ministers were previously advised to disregard meeting requests with this campaign group.

Maria Caulfield: We value engagement with stakeholders, such as INFACT, to inform our response to the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety (IMMDS) Review. The former Minister of State for Patient Safety, Mental Health and Suicide Prevention (Rt hon. Ms Nadine Dorries MP) met with INFACT on 14 July. We have no current plans to meet with INFACT.The Government published its response to the IMMDS Review on 21 July, which is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1005847/IMMDS_Review_-_Government_response_-_220721.pdf

Members: Correspondence

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to correspondence from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay of (a) 20th September 2021, (b) 18 October and  (c) 18 December, on a constituency case, reference JB34262.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 13 December.

NHS and Social Services: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the (a) NHS and (b) social care staff in York who are yet to receive a covid-19 vaccine are eligible for that vaccine.

Edward Argar: All National Health Service and social care staff are eligible and have been offered a COVID-19 vaccination. The Department does not hold information on the proportion of staff who will be exempt under making vaccination a condition of deployment in health and wider social care sector regulations.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the referrals of (a) Excalibur Healthcare, (b) JD.com, (c) Monarch Acoustics Ltd and (d) Nine United Ltd to the high priority lane for PPE supply during the covid-19 outbreak were made by (i) special advisers, (ii) civil servants or (iii) ministers in his Department.

Edward Argar: On 17 November 2021, the Department published information relating to the teams and individuals who referred offers of support that were triaged using the high priority lane. Our records indicate that offers from Excalibur Healthcare, JD.com and Nine United Ltd were received and referred by the former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Rt hon. Matt Hancock MP) and directed to the high priority route by the Director General for the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. The offer from Monarch Acoustics Limited was received and referred by the former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what records his Department holds on the referral of Global United Trading by Dominic Cummings to the high priority lane for supply of PPE during the covid-19 pandemic.

Edward Argar: On 17 November 2021, the Department published information relating to the teams and individuals who referred offers of support that were triaged using the high priority route. On 27 March 2020 Dominic Cummings passed on the approach from Global United Trading via email, which went on to be referred to the high priority route.

Ambulance Services: North West

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with representatives of the North West Ambulance Service to tackle long waiting times.

Edward Argar: We have had no specific discussions.

Mechanical Thrombectomy

Sir Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions officials in his Department have had with the General Medical Council on the investment needed to support a credentialing process that will enable specialists from disciplines other than interventional neuroradiology to perform mechanical thrombectomy.

Edward Argar: The General Medical Council (GMC) is developing a credential in interventional neuroradiology (acute stroke) to allow specialists in areas such as neurosurgery, neurology and stroke medicine, to train in the delivery of mechanical thrombectomy for the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke.The Department, the devolved administrations and statutory education bodies are discussing funding arrangements for medical credentials with the GMC, including for interventional radiology. We are committed to ensuring that there is equitable and proportionate funding arrangements for all credentials where they have been commissioned.

Department of Health and Social Care: Theft

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of his Department's (a) laptops, (b) mobile phones, (c) memory sticks and (d) external hard drives have been lost or stolen in each of the last five years.

Edward Argar: The information requested for lost and stolen laptops and mobile phones since 2017 is shown in the following table. 20172018201920202021Lost laptops22114Stolen laptops12256Lost mobiles9113712Stolen mobiles212515 Information on losses or thefts of data storage devices, such as memory sticks and external hard drives, is not held centrally as these devices are no longer issued to staff by the Department.

Health Professions: Re-employment

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many medically trained people have returned from retirement to relieve shortages in response to requests.

Edward Argar: The Department does not hold the information requested.

Hospital Beds

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to increase the number of beds in NHS England hospitals.

Edward Argar: National Health Service bed capacity is not fixed and can be flexible to meet changes in demand.The seasonal flu and COVID-19 booster vaccination programmes also aim to reduce the level of hospital admissions and increase bed capacity. We have also provided an additional £478 million to the NHS for the rest of this year to continue the enhanced hospital discharge programme, to maximise the number of available beds.

HIV Infection: Drugs

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his timeline is for developing a plan to drive innovation in PrEP delivery under the HIV Action Plan; and which groups his Department plans to engage and consult on that plan.

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has made to measure HIV stigma since the publication of the HIV Action Plan.

Maggie Throup: The HIV Action Plan commits to the development of a plan to increase innovation in the delivery of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), improving access for key groups, including provision in settings outside of sexual and reproductive health services. The plan will be based on evidence from the findings of work the English Sexual Health and HIV Commissioners group are undertaking with potential PrEP users and providers, which will explore the acceptability and feasibility of delivering PrEP in settings such as drug and alcohol services and pharmacies.NHS England and NHS Improvement are also developing a pilot for accessing PrEP in prisons. Timelines for taking forward the Action Plan will be published in the monitoring and evaluation framework in 2022. The framework will include key indicators, including those on addressing stigma, to be monitored at national, regional and local levels.

Coronavirus

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what evidence his Department holds of predicted future hospitalisation rates from the Omicron variant of covid-19.

Maggie Throup: In the absence of any data on disease severity or the likely transmission rates in the community, it is not possible to make reliable estimates. As data on transmission rates becomes clearer over time and initial hospitalisations allow assessment of severity and care needs, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will be able to project predicted future rates. The UKHSA and NHS England and NHS Improvement are working to generate data as quickly as possible.

Oral Tobacco: Health Hazards

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2021 to Question 72543, on Oral Tobacco, what the serious adverse health outcomes caused by snus are; and how those risks compare with the risks associated with smoking.

Maggie Throup: Oral tobacco, including snus, is banned in the United Kingdom under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016. There is evidence that oral tobacco products can contain carcinogenic substances which increases the risk of adverse health effects. This includes an increased risk of oesophageal and pancreatic cancer, high blood pressure, increased mortality in the aftermath of a heart attack or stroke and type 2 diabetes. While the risks of adverse health outcomes caused by snus are far lower than smoking, it remains the Government’s policy to help people to quit all forms of tobacco use.

Coronavirus: Screening

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve waiting times for covid-19 PCR test results.

Maggie Throup: Laboratories in the network have target turnaround times from kit registration to communicated result of 80% within 24 hours for physical test sites and 60% within 48 hours for satellite sites. Performance metrics are tracked daily and any issues are investigated to restore performance to minimum target levels as quickly as possible. To minimise waiting times, we have designed a dynamic COVID-19 laboratory network to ensure samples can be processed as effectively as possible, minimising sample waiting time through a regional allocation model to factor in travel times, laboratory capacity and testing rates.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the most recent covid-19 restrictions do not prohibit mixing in social settings.

Maggie Throup: We have not included measures restricting social gathering as the Government believes that the ‘Plan B’ measures are a proportionate approach, balancing public health with the economic and social impacts. We keep measures under review and will take additional steps if necessary to control the spread of the virus.

Health Services: Greater London

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the pressures on NHS Trusts in north London as of 22 November 2021; and what steps he plans to take to support front line staff to manage those pressures.

Edward Argar: No such assessment has been made. NHS England and NHS Improvement have advised that the North Central London Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has received £6.8 million from a winter access fund for general practice, increasing appointment capacity and primary care capacity across the system including through hospital on-site presence in local emergency departments. The CCG has supported frontline staff by increasing capacity of existing wellbeing services, commissioning specialist services and circulating national psychological self-help resource links. Individual trusts and employers have also ensured that staff have access to a variety of support including through face to face sessions, virtual classrooms and online chat rooms.

Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to Question 67052 tabled by the hon. Member for Westminster North.

Edward Argar: I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question 67052.

Members: Correspondence

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for West Lancashire dated 10 September 2021 regarding NHS procurement spending, reference ZA57620; and if he will assist that hon. Member in securing a response from the Chief Executive of NHS England and Improvement to her letter of the same reference number.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 11 November 2021. NHS England and NHS Improvement have advised that they will respond to the hon. Member’s letter as soon as possible.

Members: Correspondence

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to provide a substantive response to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Manchester Gorton dated 17 September 2021 regarding Desmond Manangazira.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 13 December 2021.

Catheters: Urinary Tract Infections

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of requiring Integrated Care Systems to record the number of catheter associated urinary tract infections acquired by patients in (a) hospital care and (b) the community.

Edward Argar: The United Kingdom Health Security Agency undertakes surveillance of bloodstream infections in hospital and community settings, including information on the infection source through National Health Service acute trusts, which will be part of the Integrated Care Systems, reporting infection cases. If a urinary source is identified, further information is requested around urinary catheterisation.

Surgery: Private Sector

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of operations that the NHS will procure in private hospitals over the next three months.

Edward Argar: No estimate has been made. Since 1 April 2021, national contracting with independent sector providers has come to an end and commissioning has returned to local arrangements. It is therefore the decision of local National Health Service commissioners and trusts to contract with independent providers for the capacity they require.Through the Elective Recovery Fund, £2 billion has been made available for tackling backlogs in treatment this year, part of which will be used to fund systems for independent sector capacity above 2019/20 levels. The partnership between the NHS and independent sector will continue to play a role in both dealing with the pandemic and securing elective recovery.

Coronavirus: Hospitals

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total cost was of setting up, running and closing the Nightingale hospitals.

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what happened to the beds and medical equipment from the Nightingale hospitals.

Edward Argar: Total projected funding for the Nightingale hospital programme was ring-fenced at £466 million. National Health Service providers are currently auditing the accounts for 2020/21 and the final spending outturn will be published in due course.NHS England and NHS Improvement advise that regions were responsible for co-ordinating the redistribution of assets including beds and medical equipment from the Nightingale hospitals. Each host trust is responsible for managing a list of these assets. The remaining surplus stock has been collected and made available for national redistribution under the existing warehousing, asset tracking and logistics contracts.

Hospitals

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what areas of concern his Department has identified for patient demand versus the operational capacity of hospitals in (a) Slough, (b) the South East, (c) England, and (d) the UK.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS hospitals in (a) Slough, (b) the South East, (c) England, and (d) the UK have sufficient operational capacity to cope with the increased operational pressure of the upcoming winter months.

Edward Argar: In Slough, the South East, England areas of concern include maintaining elective activity to recover waiting lists, limiting cancellations of operations, accident and emergency performance and ambulance trusts remaining at high escalation levels. A further concern is the potential increase in demand for emergency care driven by seasonal flu and COVID-19.To address these concerns, NHS England and NHS Improvement are conducting detailed operational level winter planning with providers, regions and stakeholders and implementing its Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery 10 Point Action Plan. This sets out actions for systems to support improved emergency care performance and patient flow, including providing ambulance trusts with an extra £55 million to increase staff numbers and enhanced monitoring and support to systems and providers through the new Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Unit. This is alongside wider measures to reduce demand this winter, including the seasonal flu vaccination programme and COVID-19 booster vaccines.We have allocated an additional £5.4 billion to support the response to COVID-19, including an extra £1 billion to tackle the treatment backlog and £478 million to continue the enhanced hospital discharge programme to increase bed capacity.Areas of concern have not been identified on a United Kingdom basis as healthcare is a devolved matter.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's publication entitled PPE procurement in the early pandemic, published on 17 November 2021, on what dates the original referrals to the high priority lane were made for (a) Eyespace Eyewear by the Rt hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield, (b) Mazima Markets Ltd by Lord Leigh, (c) Skinnydip Ltd by Lord Leigh, (d) PPE Medpro Ltd by Baroness Mone and (e) SG Recruitment UK Ltd by Lord Chadlington.

Edward Argar: Departmental records do not show the date where the referral for Eyespace Eyewear was made to the high priority route. However, the company contacted the Rt Hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps MP) on 19 May 2020. The referral of Mazima Markets was made on 1 April 2020, Skinnydip Ltd on 28 March 2020, PPE Medpro Ltd on 8 May 2020, and the referral of SG Recruitment was made on 19 April 2020.

Health and Social Care Levy

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the financial cost of increases in employers' National Insurance contributions relating to NHS England in financial years (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24.

Edward Argar: The Government has compensated departments and other public sector employers in England for the increased cost of the Levy, including National Health Service (NHS) England and NHS Improvement (NHSE/I) and provided Barnett consequentials on this funding to the devolved administrations.The Autumn Budget set out that the cost of this across public sector employers is c. £1.7bn-£1.8bn a year overall. The amount the NHS will be compensated by will be proportional to the NHS paybill, and NHSE/I will prepare and communicate its allocations to individual organisations and service lines in due course.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what records his Department holds on the referral of PPE Medpro by Baroness Mone to the high priority lane for personal protective equipment supply during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what records his Department holds on the referral of PPE Medpro by Baroness Mone to the high priority lane for personal protective equipment supply during the covid-19 outbreak.

Edward Argar: On 17 November 2021, the Department published information relating to the teams and individuals who referred offers of support that were triaged using the high priority lane. Departmental records indicate that Baroness Mone identified Medpro as a potential supplier on 7 May 2020 and highlighted this opportunity by email on 8 May 2020.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what items of surplus personal protective equipment his Department has placed for sale to other NATO countries via e-portal and from which original suppliers; what items have been sold to date; and what the original cost to the public purse was of purchasing those items.

Edward Argar: Earlier in the year, the Department placed the following items of surplus personal protective equipment for sale to other NATO countries via the e-portal:- One type of goggles supplied by Jingdong E Commerce; and- Two types of gowns supplied by China National Instrumentation Ltd and Inivos Ltd. No items were sold and these have now been withdrawn from the e-portal. The total value of the items listed on the portal was:- Jingdong E Commerce – £1,338,000;- China National Instrumentation Ltd - £5,364,000; and- Inivos - £1,467,000.

Agency Nurses

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many agency nurses were employed in NHS hospital trusts in England in each month since March 2020; and what proportion did those agency nurses represent of the total nursing work force.

Edward Argar: NHS England and NHS Improvement do not hold information on the number of agency nurses employed in hospital trusts. Since April 2020, agency nurses have represented an average of 3% of full-time equivalent nursing staff.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the referrals of (a) Uniserve Ltd and (b) Worldlink to the high priority lane for PPE supply during the covid-19 outbreak were made by (i) special advisers, (ii) civil servants or (iii) ministers in his Department.

Edward Argar: On 17 November 2021, the Department published information relating to the teams and individuals who referred offers of support that were triaged using the high priority lane.Departmental Ministers, special advisers and civil servants did not refer these organisations to the high priority lane.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which (a) ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) civil servants referred (i) Meller Designs Limited and (ii) Liaoning Zhongqiao Overseas Exchange Co Ltd to the high priority lane for the supply of personal protective equipment during the covid-19 outbreak.

Edward Argar: On 17 November 2021, the Department published information relating to the teams and individuals who referred offers of support that were triaged using the high priority lane.The offer from Meller Designs Limited was received and passed on by officials in the office for the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and directed to the high priority route by officials in the Office of the Government Chief Commercial Officer.The offer from Liaoning Zhongquiao Overseas Exchange Co Ltd was received and referred by officials in the office for the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Hospitals: Coronavirus

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2021 to Question 72598 on Hospitals: Coronavirus, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect of covid-19 hospitalisations on the availability of (a) hospital beds, (b) staff and (c) elective procedures, notwithstanding the fact that he has not plans to publish such an assessment.

Edward Argar: Assessments on the availability of hospital beds, staff and elective procedures are evolving, due to the changing nature of COVID-19 and the impact of preventative measures. The Department keeps the impact of COVID-19 on NHS England services under review.

Hospitals: Discharges

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department holds data on the average number of people delayed per day as part of delayed transfers of care in hospital for (a) August 2021, (b) September 2021 and October 2021; and if he will publish those data.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with (a) NHS leaders and (b) representatives of the social care sector on reducing the number of delayed transfers of care in hospitals over winter 2021.

Edward Argar: Data on delayed transfers of care has not been collected since March 2020. Since April 2020, COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness Resilience and Response Acute and Community Daily Discharge Situation Report data has been collected. This measures delays in hospital and the reasons for these delays for patients with a length of stay of more than 14 and 21 days. NHS England and NHS Improvement are improving the data quality of this new collection and exploring the potential to publish the data in future. The Department continues to work closely with NHS England and NHS Improvement, local government and social care providers to monitor and address the underlying causes which contribute to delayed discharges. This includes a network of weekly regional and national cross-sector meetings which inform regular Ministerial meetings with NHS England and NHS Improvement on winter pressures.

Social Services: Learning Disability

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to end out of area placements for people with learning disabilities.

Gillian Keegan: In 2021/22, we are investing more than £90 million for community support and to facilitate discharge of people with a learning disability and autistic people from inpatient settings. This will enable more people to receive personalised care in the community, closer to home and reduce preventable admissions.The cross-Government Building the right support Delivery Board is responsible for progress in reducing the number of people with a learning disability and autistic people in mental health inpatient settings, through oversight of relevant activities and by commissioning specific workstreams. One such workstream is focussing on identifying and disseminating best practice on community support to allow people to live close to family and friends.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Diagnosis

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans tackle the misdiagnosis of ME patients; and with whom NICE plans to work to raise awareness of that misdiagnosis among the public, Government officials and NHS staff.

Gillian Keegan: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body with responsibility for developing evidence-based guidance for the health and care system. NICE recently updated their guideline on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), aiming to improve awareness and understanding of ME/CFS to ensure earlier and correct diagnoses. The guideline includes specific recommendations on providing information and support to people with ME/CFS and training for health and social care professionals. This training should include material on ME/CFS and its diagnosis and management.NICE promotes guidance via its website, newsletters and other media. While guidelines are not mandatory, we expect the healthcare system to take them fully into account in designing services that meet the needs of their local population and to work towards their implementation over time. NICE is working with system partners to support the implementation of the guideline for ME/CFS.

Mental Health Services: Autism and Learning Disability

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2021 to Question 53847 on Mental Health Services: Autism and Learning Disability, what engagement he has had with (a) autistic people, (b) people with learning disabilities and (c) the organisations which advocate for those people on informing the development of his Department’s action plan to implement Building the Right Support.

Gillian Keegan: We have engaged with a range of individuals and organisations, including voluntary sector organisations, people with lived experience of both autism and learning disabilities and their families. We are currently considering the feedback received as part of the ongoing development of the Action Plan.

Coronavirus: Care Homes

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 30 July 2021 to Question 34525, whether his Department has made a comparative assessment of the risk of covid-19 transmission to care home residents from care home staff who (a) work on a single site and (b) hold secondary employment.

Gillian Keegan: We have not made a specific comparative assessment. However, in line with research findings the Department continues to advise care home providers to restrict the routine movement of staff, including those who work at multiple sites for a single employer and those who work for multiple employers in care roles.

Tourette's Syndrome: Health Services

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve (a) diagnostic processes and (b) subsequent support for people with Tourette's syndrome; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Keegan: The majority of services for people with Tourette’s syndrome are commissioned locally by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), who are best placed to plan the provision of services subject to local prioritisation and funding. Decisions on improving the diagnostic process and support for people with Tourette’s syndrome will vary, with each CCG taking into consideration attributes of its local population to assess the level of need.Health Education England is increasing the number of trained clinical psychologists, supporting a 60% expansion in the clinical psychology training intake over the past two years. Clinical psychologists are well placed to develop new and improved services and undertake bespoke development to support the needs of patients with Tourette’s syndrome.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, (a) what steps he is taking to improve the availability of children's mental health services and (b) whether he plans to increase funding to (i) North Central London Clinical Commissioning Group, (ii) Enfield Council, and (iii) grassroots community organisations in Enfield North constituency to help improve children and young people’s access to mental health support.

Gillian Keegan: The Mental Health Recovery Action Plan, supported by an additional £500 million, includes a further £79 million to expand capacity in children’s mental health services. NHS England and NHS Improvement have announced a further £40 million in 2021/22 to address the impact of the pandemic on children and young people’s mental health. We are also investing an extra £2.3 billion a year in mental health services by 2023/24 to allow 345,000 more children and young people aged 0 to 25 years old to access National Health Service-funded mental health support. NHS England and NHS Improvement have consulted on a potential new waiting time standard for children and young people presenting to community-based mental health services to receive care within four weeks from referral. In 2021/22, the North Central London Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has invested an additional nearly £6 million in mental health provision for 0 to 25 year olds. The CCG is undertaking a review of adult and children and young people’s mental health support to ensure that provision is equitable across its boroughs. The Prevention and Promotion Fund for Better Mental Health is benefitting 40 local areas across England. The learning from the Fund will inform funding plans for children’s and young people’s mental health services in Enfield and other areas.The NHS operational planning and contracting round at the beginning of each financial year sets out priorities and how funding will be used. Systems are expected to work with partner organisations, including voluntary, community and social enterprise grass roots organisations, to produce plans for how they will deliver services.

Health Services: Security

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he will take to increase security in patient care facilities for those who are victims of (a) knife  and (b) other violent crimes.

Gillian Keegan: The security and safety of hospital staff and patients is paramount. National Health Service organisations are responsible for determining their own security arrangements based on their needs and demands. NHS England published a Violence Prevention and Reduction Standard in December 2020. This requires all NHS organisations to assess and manage risks, put in place plans to mitigate the risks of violence and support staff with adequate resources and training.

Dementia: Diagnosis

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations he has received from relevant stakeholders and health organisations on plans to tackle the dementia diagnosis backlog.

Gillian Keegan: The Department has received correspondence from stakeholders on the dementia diagnosis backlog. The Department also has regular discussions with NHS England and NHS Improvement on this issue.NHS England and NHS Improvement continue to monitor the dementia diagnosis rate on a monthly basis and analyse trends at regional and sustainability and transformation partnership level to aid targeted recovery efforts. We have allocated to £17 million to NHS England and Improvement to address dementia waiting lists and increase the number of diagnoses. We will be setting out our plans on dementia for England for future years in 2022.

Social Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to increase capacity in the social care sector over the next four months.

Gillian Keegan: On 10 December we announced £300 million to support local authorities and care providers recruit and retain care staff through the winter. This funding will enhance the existing £162.5 million Workforce Recruitment and Retention Fund, which was announced on 21 October. The latest phase of our adult social care national recruitment campaign was launched in early November and will run until March 2022.

Social Work: Staff

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has a workforce plan for social work for (a) adults and (b) children.

Gillian Keegan: The recent adult social care white paper, ‘People at the Heart of Care’ sets out plans for an investment of at least £500 million in learning and development for the adult social care workforce. This includes social work training routes, continued funding of social work education and supporting a range of graduate programmes. In July 2021, we commissioned Health Education England to review long term trends in the health and social care workforce to support the National Health Service and social care in the next 15 years. This will include regulated professionals such as social workers.The Government’s workforce strategy for children’s services ‘Putting children first: our vision for children’s social care’ is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/putting-children-first-our-vision-for-childrens-social-careThe Knowledge and Skills statements were introduced in 2014 and form the foundation of the post-qualification specialist career pathway for child and family social workers. We are investing in the recruitment, retention and development of social workers through initiatives such as Frontline and Step Up to Social Work, the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment, the Practice Supervisor and Practice Leaders Development Programmes, and the Upon Inspiring Leaders programme. Social Work England, the new specialist regulator for social workers, aims to improve the quality of social work practice for adults, children and families and has introduced new professional and education and training standards.

Mental Health Services: Babies

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the funding announced for parent and infant mental health in the Spending Review 2021 will be used to close the gaps in provision for children under two in children and young people’s mental health services.

Gillian Keegan: We have announced a £500 million investment to support babies and families, £100 million of which will focus on enhancing parent-infant mental health support. This will help promote the social and emotional development of babies. the social and emotional development of babies. Local areas will decide where this additional support should be allocated, which could form part of children and young people’s mental health services or elsewhere within the early years system such as within family hubs.

Motor Neurone Disease

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been diagnosed with motor neurone disease in the last three years.

Gillian Keegan: The information is not collected in the format requested.

Mental Health Services: Standards

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support he will make available to help ensure that mental health providers receive a good or outstanding rating from the CQC.

Gillian Keegan: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates mental health providers to ensure they meet the minimum fundamental standards as set out in legislation. The CQC uses its inspection methodology to understand how a provider is meeting these standards and publishes a report and rating. The CQC publishes a range of information for providers, including case studies and thematic reports focused on good practice.NHS England and NHS Improvement support providers to deliver the aims of the NHS Long Term Plan. This focuses on ensuring that all providers are providing the best possible care, which may then be reflected in a good or outstanding rating from the CQC.

Mental Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to embed a social model of mental health over a medical model.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of the Trieste model of mental health care delivery.

Gillian Keegan: No formal assessment has been made of the Trieste model. The NHS Long Term Plan includes a specific focus on transforming and expanding community mental health support to avoid people going into crisis and the need for an inpatient admission wherever possible. Under the Plan, new and integrated models of primary and community mental health care will give 370,000 adults and older adults with severe mental illnesses greater choice and control over their care and support them to live well in their communities by 2023/24.

Autism and Learning Disability: Mental Health Services

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2021 to Question 53847 on Autism and Learning Disability, when he plans to publish the Government’s response to the Health and Social Care Select Committee’s report, The Treatment of Autistic People and People with Learning Disabilities, published on 13 July 2021.

Gillian Keegan: We will respond to the Select Committee’s report as soon as possible, with full consideration of the recommendations made.The Department is developing an action plan to implement ‘Building the right support’. The action plan will set out the actions for Government and delivery partners to improve the treatment of autistic people and people with learning disabilities, with clear owners and timescales for delivery and will inform the response to the Committee.

Social Services: Standards

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to ensure that care providers rated as inadequate by the Care Quality Commission are prohibited from trading; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing harsher penalties for those providers.

Gillian Keegan: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has a range of proportionate enforcement powers, which allow action to be taken to ensure the safety of service users where concerns on quality or safety are identified.The CQC’s special measures policy ensures that providers found to be providing inadequate care significantly improve. Once a service is in special measures, the CQC will re-inspect within six months to confirm that sufficient progress has been made. Where it has not, the CQC will begin to take action to prevent the service from operating, either by proposing to cancel their registration or vary the terms of their registration. If concerns are sufficiently serious, the CQC can cancel a registration.

Mental Health Services: Learning Disability

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he will take to ensure that human rights of people with learning disabilities and the needs of their carers are taken into consideration when placements in mental health services are being selected.

Gillian Keegan: Public authorities must comply with their duty under Section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998 to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights, except where as the result of one or more provisions of primary legislation, the authority could not have acted differently and where it was acting to enforce those provisions.‘Building the right support’ sets out that people with a learning disability and autistic people should have access to integrated, community-based specialist multidisciplinary health and social care in their community in a way that is right for them as an individual. The Care Quality Commission is working with people who use services, families and professionals to improve its approach in a way which more effectively safeguards their human rights.

Social Services: Learning Disability

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of learning disability services.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of learning disability services in York.

Gillian Keegan: We have not made a specific assessment of the adequacy of services in York. In 2021/22, we are investing more than £90 million for community support and to facilitate discharge for people with a learning disability and autistic people.

Social Services: Learning Disability

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made of the number of people working in learning disability services compared to the need for those services.

Gillian Keegan: No specific assessment has been made. While data on the adult social care workforce is collected via Skills for Care’s Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set, it does not separately record providers who deliver learning disability services.

Cancer: Health Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he will take to prioritise cancer (a) diagnosis, (b) treatment and (c) care over the winter period.

Maria Caulfield: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Andrew Gwynne MP) on 23 November to Question 904315.

Genetics: Screening

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2021 to Question 59814, on Genetics: Screening, whether data will be (a) collected and (b) published to outline performance on delivering the national Genomic Test Directory across each of the seven Genomic Laboratory Hubs.

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2021 to Question 59814 on the NHS Genomic Medicine Service, what plans he has  to develop operational level guidance for the NHS Genomic Medicine Service to further support NHS delivery and Genome UK.

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2021 to Question 59814 on the NHS Genomic Medicine Service, what amount of funding was provided through (a) specialised commissioning and (b) highly specialised services to the NHS Genomic Medicine Service annually; for the most recent time period that data is available.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with the NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs on regular activity reporting including standardising approaches and reporting methods. This does not involve sharing of patient identifiable or clinical data but provides insights on the delivery of the service to support service improvement. Since April 2021, relevant activity data has been collected via a new mechanism and is currently being validated to improve its quality and completeness. Once validated, the intention is to include this information as part of routine publications.The NHS Operational Planning Guidance will be published to outline priorities for the system. Following publication, additional guidance will be prepared for the NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs and system partners for delivery of the NHS Genomic Medicine Service.Due to the COVID-19 response, NHS England and NHS Improvement have put in place an interim financial regime, with funding allocated in provider blocks. The amount of funding made available by NHS England and NHS Improvement is currently being reviewed and validated. Whilst the formal funding figures are not currently available, this will remain under review by NHS England and NHS Improvement to be provided during the 2022/23 financial year, once validated.

Cardiovascular Diseases: Health Services

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the Association of British HealthTech Industries' Cardiovascular Health Check report, published November 2021.

Maria Caulfield: No assessment has been made.

Strokes

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason there is not a stroke policy lead in his Department.

Maria Caulfield: The Department's NHS Quality, Safety and Investigations Directorate is responsible for the oversight of policy related to strokes.

Strokes: Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact on patient care of approximately half of all hospitals having vacancies for consultants in stroke.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England and NHS Improvement’s Getting it Right First Time Stroke programme and the British Association of Stroke Physicians 2019-2022 Report assessed the impact of vacancies for consultants on patient care for strokes. NHS England and NHS Improvement is working to improve applications to stroke medicine with a revised curriculum for neurology trainees now in place. This will allow all new neurologists to be trained and capable of contributing to stroke care by 2027.However, the report found that the national stroke audit showed a rise in the quality of stroke care across the country, with over a third of units now achieving the highest rating.

General Practitioners: Homelessness

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England with no fixed abode can register with a GP.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England’s national patient registration guidance states that a fixed address or identification is not required to register or access treatment at general practitioner (GP) practices. Where necessary, the practice can use its address to register the patient. Physical and digital access cards have been distributed via local Healthwatch services in England and voluntary organisations, reiterating the entitlement to register and receive treatment from a GP practice, without proof of address or identification.Coventry and Warwickshire Clinical Commissioning Group have commissioned a specialist service for specific cohorts of patients. The Anchor Centre is available to patients who consider themselves to be homeless, vulnerably housed, rough sleepers or similar circumstances.

Prostate Cancer: Health Services

Anthony Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to NHS England data from March 2020 to September 2021 which shows that urgent suspected urology cancer referrals were at 83.5 per cent of the pre-covid-19 outbreak baseline, what steps his Department is taking to (a) raise awareness of prostate cancer amongst higher risk men and (b) help ensure that those missing from the treatment pathway are identified before their cancer has progressed to be non-curable.

Maria Caulfield: The ‘Help us help you’ campaign has raised awareness of abdominal and urological symptoms and urged people to consult their general practitioner (GP). A new phase of campaign is planned for early 2022 to address some of the barriers which prevent people coming forward. The National Health Service is working with Prostate Cancer UK to raise awareness of prostate cancer risk and encourage men to use Prostate Cancer UK’s risk checker.Primary Care Networks are working with GP practices to implement the 2021/22 Early Cancer Diagnosis Directed Enhanced Service Specification, to optimise suspected cancer referral practice, support earlier diagnosis of cancer, and identify people before their cancer has progressed to non-curable. The NHS is focusing on reducing the number of people waiting over 62 days on cancer pathways, particularly rescheduling diagnostic procedures or treatments for those whose care was delayed by the pandemic. An additional £1 billion has been made available to the NHS in 2021/22 to support the recovery of elective activity and cancer services.

General Practitioners

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) increase the number of GP appointments available in line with local housing developments and (b) ensure an adequate number of GP appointments are available throughout winter 2021-22.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England is committed to ensuring future funding and healthcare provision matches population growth and demographic changes, including local housing developments. The National Health Service funding formula reflects the Office for National Statistics’ population estimates and general practitioner (GP) registrations in a geography.‘Our plan for improving access for patients and supporting general practice’ included an additional investment of £250 million through a Winter Access Fund. This aims to improve the availability of GP practices and increase the number of appointments, while also investing in technology to make it easier for patients to see or speak to their GP.

Earwax: Medical Treatments

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what course of action is available to patients in the event that ear wax removal is not provided by a CCG and self care does not work.

Maria Caulfield: Local commissioners are responsible for meeting the health needs of their local population and should ensure there is appropriate access to ear wax removal services.If a clinician, informed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines, considers removal clinically necessary, the procedure should either be undertaken at the practice or the patient should be referred to an appropriate local NHS service depending on the arrangements in place.

General Practitioners: Pharmacy

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to encourage more general practices in (a) Enfield North, (b) Greater London, and (c) England to sign up to the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service.

Maria Caulfield: As part of the 2021/2022 GP Contract Investment and Impact Fund, Primary Care Networks are being incentivised to develop and deliver a plan to increase referrals to the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service. To receive this funding, Primary Care Networks must increase referral levels by 31 March 2022.In addition, in October 2021, NHS England launched a £250 million Winter Access Fund for general practice. Participation in the Community Pharmacy Consultation Service is a condition of a practice being able to benefit from the Winter Access Fund.

Earwax: Medical Treatments

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what alternative arrangements are available for ear wax removal by NHS England where it is not commissioned by a CCG.

Maria Caulfield: Decisions about the funding and provision of health services, including ear wax removal, are the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups. Services should be planned to meet the needs of local communities, including ensuring the appropriate access to ear wax removal services.General practitioner (GP) practices are increasingly recommending self-care methods as the primary means to support the safe removal of ear wax. If a GP practice considers removal clinically necessary, the procedure should either be undertaken at the practice or the patient should be referred to an appropriate local NHS service depending on the arrangements in place.

Cancer: Nurses

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the new NHS funding announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review will double the number of cancer specialist nurses.

Maria Caulfield: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Knowsley (Sir George Howarth MP) on 15 November to Question 72362.

General Practitioners

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the British Medical Association's analysis of pressures in general practice, published 11 November 2021, what assessment his Department has made of the implications of the findings in that report for (a) the quality of delivered care, (b) the capacity of GP surgeries to deliver care to all registered patients and (c) targets to have an additional 6,000 GPs by 2024 in (i) Slough, (ii) the South East, (iii) England and (iv) the UK.

Maria Caulfield: Whilst no specific assessment has been made of the findings in Slough, the South East and the United Kingdom, we are investing £250 million in a Winter Access Fund to support general practice teams in England and improve access. NHS England and NHS Improvement’s Access Improvement Programme is supporting 900 practices with the greatest access challenges, expanding to support a further 200 practices, to ensure that patients receive the same high quality of care.We are working with NHS England and NHS Improvement, Health Education England and the profession to increase the general practice workforce in England. There were 1,841 more full time equivalent doctors in general practice in September 2021, compared to September 2019. Trainee general practitioners are also helping to ease workloads, increase capacity and allow more patients to get the care they need.

Health Services: Females

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure accountability for the delivery of the forthcoming Women’s Health Strategy.

Maria Caulfield: We are currently analysing the responses to the call for evidence, which will inform the priorities, content and actions of the new Women's Health Strategy for England. Following this analysis, we will publish the Strategy in due course.The Strategy we will set out proposals on issues that only affect women and girls and on issues that affect everyone but where there are gender differences in prevalence, experience or outcomes. We are committed to engaging with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure these proposals are implemented effectively and to the benefit of all women.

Earwax: Medical Treatments

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the impact of patients being unable to access ear wax services through the NHS on the cost of treating patients for associated conditions relating to a lack of ear wax removal provision.

Maria Caulfield: No formal assessment has been made. General practitioner (GP) practices are increasingly recommending self-care methods as the primary means to support the safe removal of ear wax. However, if a GP practice considers removal clinically necessary, the procedure should either be undertaken at the practice, or the patient should be referred to an appropriate local NHS service depending on the arrangements in place. Local commissioners are responsible for meeting the health needs of their local population and should continue to ensure there is appropriate access to ear wax removal services.

Earwax: Injuries

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) number of people presenting to the NHS with injuries suffered as a result of treating ear wax by self-removal and (b) the cost to the public purse of treating those patients, in each of the last five years.

Maria Caulfield: No formal estimate has been made as this data is not held centrally. General practitioner (GP) practices are increasingly recommending self-care methods as the primary means to support the safe removal of ear wax. However, if a GP practice considers removal clinically necessary, the procedure should either be undertaken at the practice, or the patient should be referred to an appropriate local NHS service depending on the arrangements in place. Local commissioners are responsible for meeting the health needs of their local population and should continue to ensure there is appropriate access to ear wax removal services.

Health Services: Females

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce inequalities in healthcare for women.

Maria Caulfield: The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities was established on 1 October to tackle the causes of ill-health and reduce disparities, including those which affect women.We will also publish a Women’s Health Strategy for England to improve the health and wellbeing of women and reduced the health disparities experienced by women.

Earwax: Medical Treatments

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the level of capacity within the NHS for (a) workforce and (b) equipment and facilities to meet the demand for ear wax removal services.

Maria Caulfield: No formal assessment has been made. General practitioner (GP) practices are increasingly recommending self-care methods as the primary means to support the safe removal of ear wax. However, if a GP practice considers removal clinically necessary, the procedure should either be undertaken at the practice or the patient should be referred to an appropriate local NHS service depending on the arrangements in place in the local area. Local commissioners are responsible for meeting the health needs of their local population and should continue to ensure there is appropriate access to ear wax removal services.

Midwives and Obstetrics: Vacancies

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the extent of shortages in (a) midwives and (b) obstetricians in the NHS in England.

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many midwives Birthrate Plus suggests the NHS in England currently needs.

Maria Caulfield: The recent Birthrate Plus assessment identified a national differential in England of 844 full-time equivalent (FTE) or 3.5% of midwives between employed FTE staff in post and the total number of funded posts and 1,088 FTE or 4.4% of midwives between the total number of funded posts and the number of posts recommended using the Birthrate Plus midwifery workforce planning tool.The Department has not made an assessment of the extent of shortages in obstetricians in the National Health Service in England.

Long Covid: Clinics

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the ability of long covid clinics to offer a full range of treatments and advice for patients in a timely manner.

Maria Caulfield: The Department has not made a formal assessment.NHS England and NHS Improvement operate 90 post-COVID-19 assessment services across England and publish national guidance which supports commissioners to design and implement local care pathways. This has been developed using guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. NHS England and NHS Improvement have also established 14 children and young people’s hubs in England to coordinate care across a range of services.NHS England and NHS Improvement have published data on waiting times for an initial assessment at a post-COVID-19 service since October 2021. From 30 August to 26 September 2021, 31% of those who had their initial specialist assessment were seen within six weeks, 43% within eight weeks and 33% of patients waited longer than 15 weeks. As this is experimental data, there may be some variation due to incomplete data submissions.

Dental Services

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the letter dated 29 March 2021 from NHS England and DHSC to NHS primary care dental contract holders, what progress has been made towards dental contract reform in England.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England and NHS Improvement have established an advisory and technical working group, with membership from the dental profession. A range of focus groups were held to inform proposals for dental system reform, including of the existing contract. Any proposed contractual changes will be negotiated with the British Dental Association.

Dental Services

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what incentives are available to encourage NHS dentists to practice in areas with unmet dental need.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England and NHS Improvement are responsible for commissioning primary dental care services to meet local need. NHS England and NHS Improvement are developing proposals for dental system reform, designed with the support of the profession, encouraging improved dental provision in all areas and addressing unmet need.Health Education England (HEE) is also working with service commissioners to develop National Health Service dental practices to provide more dental foundation training opportunities where access to NHS dentistry is a known issue. Nationally, HEE is reviewing future training posts to ensure an equitable distribution of NHS dentists in England.

General Practitioners: Termination of Employment

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GP’s have left the profession in (a) South Yorkshire, (b) England and (c) the UK in each of the last five years.

Maria Caulfield: Data on the number of general practitioner (GPs) who have left the profession in South Yorkshire and the United Kingdom is not collected centrally.The following table shows the number of qualified permanent GPs, excluding GPs in training grade and locums, leaving the general practice workforce in England by full time equivalent (FTE) and headcount to September 2020. Data for September 2020 to September 2021 is not held, as a review of the general practice workforce data methodology is currently underway. FTEHeadcountSeptember 2016 - September 20172,0892,807September 2017 - September 20182,2923,071September 2018 - September 20192,5013,437September 2019 - September 20201,9262,732 Source: NHS DigitalNotes:Figures are based only on non-estimated qualified permanent GPs (excludes Registrars and Locums) with either a completed General Medical Council (GMC) registration number, National Insurance Number, or both name and date of birth details. Data shows GPs who left the cohort workforce between the beginning and end of each specified time period. A leaver is defined as a GP whose identifying information was present in the relevant dataset at the beginning but not at the end of the specified time period. These figures do not capture GP migration between practices during this periodDue to data quality, a GP recorded as a leaver in these figures may have left one practice and joined another practice with poor data completion. In instances such as this, a GP will be incorrectly recorded as a leaver due to the identifying information no longer being present in the dataset. Conversely, a GP could appear in the practice cohort as a joiner but may have joined from a practice with poor data completion rather than being a new addition to the GP workforce. Individuals across the various time periods were matched on the following data items; exact match on GMC registration number; exact match on National Insurance Number; exact match on forename and surname and date of birth; and exact match on initial and surname and date of birth. Further record matching steps are under ongoing investigation. Therefore these rates may be subject to revision in future and should be treated with caution.For September 2016 these figures are based on 27,672 FTE, 99.0% of the 27,954 all qualified permanent GPs (excludes registrars and locums) workforce excluding estimated records.For September 2017 these figures are based on 27,278 FTE, 98.7% of the 27,624 all qualified permanent GPs (excludes registrars and locums) workforce excluding estimated records.For September 2018 these figures are based on 26,763 FTE, 99.1% of the 26,999 all qualified permanent GPs (excludes registrars and locums) workforce excluding estimated records.For September 2019 these figures are based on 26,401 FTE, 98.9% of the 26,681 all qualified permanent GPs (excludes registrars and locums) workforce excluding estimated records.For September 2020 these figures are based on 26,231 FTE, 98.9% of the 26,510 all qualified permanent GPs (excludes registrars and locums) workforce excluding estimated records.For September 2016 these figures are based on 33,544 Headcount, 99.0% of the 33,887 all qualified permanent GPs (excludes registrars and locums) workforce excluding estimated records.For September 2017 these figures are based on 33,473 Headcount, 98.7% of the 33,906 all qualified permanent GPs (excludes registrars and locums) workforce excluding estimated records.For September 2018 these figures are based on 33,319 Headcount, 99.1% of the 33,636 all qualified permanent GPs (excludes registrars and locums) workforce excluding estimated records.For September 2019 these figures are based on 33,827 Headcount, 98.9% of the 34,220 all qualified permanent GPs (excludes registrars and locums) workforce excluding estimated records.For September 2020 these figures are based on 34,651 Headcount, 98.9% of the 35,049 all qualified permanent GPs (excludes registrars and locums) workforce excluding estimated records.Experimental statistics are official statistics which are published in order to involve users and stakeholders in their development and as a means to build in quality at an early stage. It should be noted that limitations may apply to the interpretation of this dataFigures do not contain estimates for practices that did not provide fully valid records.Figures shown do not include GPs working in prisons, army bases, educational establishments, specialist care centres including drug rehabilitation centres, walk-in centres and other alternative settings outside of traditional general practice such as urgent treatment centres and minor injury units8. FTE refers to the proportion of full-time contracted hours that the post holder is contracted to work. One would indicate they work a full set of hours (37.5), 0.5 that they worked half time.9. Data as at 30 September.

Coronavirus

Dr Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the rate of new covid-19 infections has been over the last three weeks in England amongst patients who are (a) fully, (b) partially and (c) not immunised; and what the hospital admission rates are for people who are (i) fully, (ii) partially and (iii) not immunised.

Maggie Throup: This information is not available in the format requested.The UK Health Security Agency publishes data on new COVID-19 infections and hospital admissions over the past four weeks by vaccination status, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccine-weekly-surveillance-reports

Travel: Coronavirus

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will implement measures to ensure convalescent covid-19 positive travellers are not disadvantaged by the Government's covid-19 travel testing requirements; and if he will make a statement.

Maggie Throup: While the United Kingdom does not recognise natural immunity for international travel at this time, it is being kept under review. The presence of antibodies does not guarantee that an individual is not capable of infection and transmitting the virus, therefore individuals who have been previously infected may still put others at risk.The strength of the protective immune response to COVID-19 varies greatly from person to person. Although it is likely that an individual will be protected from severe disease or death for a period post-recovery from first infection, the duration of this protection will vary and the ability for these individuals to still transmit the virus has not yet been quantified.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when vaccines administered overseas may be recorded via a method that shows that status in the NHS App; and if he will make a statement.

Maggie Throup: Since 9 December, English residents who have had vaccinations administered overseas can have the details recorded on the National Health Service vaccine database. Individuals can generate an NHS COVID Pass for domestic use and international travel if they meet certain certification requirements.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in the context of transmission of covid-19 being able to occur between people who have been vaccinated, for what reason the Government is introducing the NHS vaccine pass.

Maggie Throup: There is a high level of uncertainty about the effectiveness of vaccination against infection or transmission of the Omicron variant. We know that vaccination helps protect against serious illness and hospitalisation in the case of the Delta variant, which continues to circulate. Overall, introducing vaccine or test certification will help reduce risks in these settings when compared with no intervention. However, it will not eliminate the possibility of infectious people attending or transmitting the virus in these settings so individuals should continue to exercise caution.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the covid-19 restrictions on certification announced on 8 December 2021, what advice his Department is giving to people who have taken part in covid-19 vaccine trials and cannot have their data accurately reflected on the NHS App.

Maggie Throup: Clinical trial participants have had access to a domestic COVID Pass to demonstrate that they are fully vaccinated since 9 September. Therefore they will not be disadvantaged by the restrictions announced on 8 December.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential for covid-19 nasal vaccines being introduced as part of the NHS vaccination programme.

Maggie Throup: The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) are supporting some studies on oral or nasal administration of COVID-19 vaccines. As part of the NIHR’s and UKRI’s research call, approximately £580,000 has been awarded to Imperial College London for a study of two candidate COVID-19 vaccines administered to the respiratory tract. The study began in September 2020 and researchers are focusing on nasal delivery of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. The NIHR is also providing infrastructure support to another phase one study led by University of Oxford on the intranasal administration of the COVID vaccine ChAdOx1 nCOV-19 in healthy adults in the United Kingdom.The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) also continues to monitor and engage with developers and producers of new COVID-19 vaccines. The MHRA will ensure a thorough assessment of the safety and efficacy of any new COVID 19 vaccines before any authorisation, as soon as it receives the evidence to make such an assessment.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2021 to Question 80898 on Coronavirus: Vaccination, what steps he is taking to help ensure a higher uptake of vaccinations among the 12 to 15 age group.

Maggie Throup: As of 11 December, over 1,285,987 12 to 15 year olds in England have now received their first dose. Since the school-based vaccination offer commenced in the autumn, 95% of all schools have either been visited or have a visit planned. NHS England and NHS Improvement are also planning a programme to reach those who were absent on the day of the vaccination visit; those who tested positive for COVID-19 within a 28-day period; and those who now wish to receive the vaccine. This will be at the end of the substantive school offer period.Parents are also able to book a appointment via the National Booking Service or 119 which offers flexibility and an increasing number of vaccinations sites for 12 to 15 year olds. Parents and guardians will be advised to book an appointment to attend vaccine sites with their children and consent will be sought during the appointment.

HIV Infection: Health Services

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether additional funding is being put in place for local authorities, including public health funding, to deliver the HIV Action Plan.

Maggie Throup: The Public Health Grant will be maintained in real terms for 2022 to 2025, which will support local authorities to continue to invest in essential sexual and reproductive health services and prevention. This includes £23.4 million in 2021/22 for the HIV prevention drug pre-exposure prophylaxis.

HIV Infection: Health Services

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which body at a local level will be responsible for funding HIV support services in England.

Maggie Throup: Decisions on funding and access to social care support services for people with HIV will continue to be made by local authorities.

Smoking: Health Hazards

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2021 to Question 72542, if his Department will make an assessment of the relative risks of alternatives to smoking such as e-cigarettes and snus.

Maggie Throup: Although they are not risk free, we do promote the role that e-cigarettes can play in smoking cessation, whilst managing the risks to non-smokers and young people.  Oral tobacco, including snus, is banned in the United Kingdom under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016. There is evidence that oral tobacco products can contain carcinogenic substances which increases the risk of adverse health effects. Whilst the risks of adverse health outcomes caused by snus are far lower than smoking, it remains the Government’s policy to help people to quit all forms of tobacco use.

HIV Infection: Disease Control

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in what way the HIV Action Plan will help tackle health inequalities and end new HIV transmissions by 2030.

Maggie Throup: The HIV Action Plan aims to ensure that all underserved populations benefit equally from improvements made in HIV outcomes. This includes increased HIV testing in targeted, high-risk populations, including in black African communities. The Plan seeks to expand access to pre-exposure prophylaxis, including the development of a plan to drive innovation in its delivery to improve access for key groups.

HIV Infection: Health Services

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in what way the HIV Action Plan will help ensure that people living with HIV get the support they need.

Maggie Throup: As set out in the Plan, we will tackle stigma and improve knowledge and understanding across the health and care system about transmission of HIV and the role of treatment and prevention. We have committed to increase the number of people retained in care and receiving effective treatment through innovations in care models and supporting those with multiple or complex needs.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Official Hospitality

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether any social events took place between three or more people within his Departmental buildings between (a) 5 November 2020 and 1 December 2020 and (b) 16 December 2020 and 22 February 2021.

Simon Hart: The Wales Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Education

Curriculum: Asylum

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make a comparative assessment of the (a) percentage of asylum seekers at a school  and (b) applications for disapplication of the national curriculum.

Mr Robin Walker: The department does not collect data on the asylum seeker status of children and therefore cannot make an assessment of the percentage of asylum seekers at a school and applications for disapplication of the national curriculum.The number of pupils recorded as not following the national curriculum is published at a school level in the file ‘School level underlying data.’ This is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.

Curriculum

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will issue updated guidance on disapplication of the national curriculum.

Mr Robin Walker: The department recognises that teaching a broad and balanced curriculum is important to the academic, social, and personal development of children and young people. All schools should continue to teach a broad and balanced curriculum in all subjects.In response to education catch-up, taking the planned, sequenced curriculum as a starting point, schools should prioritise teaching missed content that will allow pupils to make sense of later work in the curriculum. This includes key knowledge, skills, vocabulary, concepts, and the links between concepts. For schools that are required to follow it, these are outlined in the national curriculum.Schools can use existing flexibilities to create time to cover the most important content in which pupils are not yet secure. Further information can be found in the non-statutory guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teaching-a-broad-and-balanced-curriculum-for-education-recovery.Up to and including key stage 3, prioritisation within subjects of the most important components for progression is likely to be more effective than removing subjects. This avoids depriving pupils of the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life.In exceptional circumstances, and where a subject is not one mandated, schools may consider it appropriate to suspend some subjects for some pupils. When this happens, schools are expected to be able to show that this is in the best interests of these pupils, and this should be in discussion with parents. Further guidance on disapplying aspects of the national curriculum can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disapplying-aspects-of-the-national-curriculum.

Children: Social services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to develop strong leadership in children's social work.

Will Quince: Strong leadership in children’s social work is essential for improving outcomes for children and families in need of help and protection.The knowledge and skills expected of social workers are set out in the post-qualifying standards for practitioners and practice supervisors, and the knowledge and skills statements for practice leaders. The national assessment and accreditation system was set up to embed these standards, and more than 700 Practice Supervisors have been accredited to date.Through our professional development programmes, the department supports leaders in social work to continue to develop the knowledge and skills needed to provide the best possible services for children and families.For example, this year the department is investing £3 million in our leadership programmes, supporting more than 750 leaders across 110 local authorities. These programmes support leaders from practice supervisor level through to the Directors of Children’s Services.Additionally, this year the department is investing £1.4 million to support the strengthening of corporate and political leadership across children’s services, working with the Local Government Association.

Children: Social services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to attract (a) people and (b) mature students into social work careers with children and young people.

Will Quince: The department has two fast-track social work training programmes, designed to recruit and train high quality graduates for a career in social work.Step Up to Social Work has been in operation since 2010 and is targeted at graduates with experience of working with vulnerable children, young people and/or families. To date over 2,300 new social workers have qualified through Step Up.The Frontline programme was launched in 2014 and is targeted at individuals who would not ordinarily consider a career in social work, and under its objectives as a charity works to promote the profession more widely. To date over 1,600 social workers have qualified through Frontline.The social work bursary, introduced in 2003, helps to support undergraduate and postgraduate students on university based social work programmes. The department also funds Teaching Partnerships, bringing together educators and employers to improve the standards of initial social work education and assure a local supply of practice ready social workers.The social worker degree apprenticeship started in March 2019, with over 1,600 starting on this new route into the profession since its launch.

Children: Social services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the caseload for social workers working with children (a) nationally and (b) in York.

Will Quince: Local authorities are responsible for the recruitment and deployment of social workers in a way that effectively meets their local needs. The right caseload for an individual social worker will depend on their role, and the nature of the cases. Ofsted inspects children’s services to ensure consistent, high-quality decision-making.We are supporting the recruitment and retention of social workers through our investment in the fast-track programmes Frontline and Step Up to Social Work, and through our professional development programmes.The number of child and family social workers has increased by over 10% since 2017. On 30 September 2020, local authorities reported that the average child and family social worker caseload across England was 16.3, and the average caseload in York was 17.2.

Children: Social services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he plans to take to ensure stability in the social worker workforce.

Will Quince: The department has invested over £100 million in the last two years on the recruitment, retention and professional development of child and family social workers in England.On average, we train over 1,100 new social workers each year through our fast-track programmes. Overall, the number of child and family social workers increased by 11.8% between 2016/17 and 2019/20.Each year, almost 3,000 newly qualified child and family social workers are supported through the assessed and supported year in employment, ensuring they get the support they need to make the transition from initial training to child and family social work. We know this early career support is important for longer term retention.We know there is a strong relationship between leadership, churn, agency use and Ofsted rating, therefore we are focused on improving local authority performance and investing in leadership programmes. We intervene decisively in failing local authorities and facilitate and fund sector led improvement support to drive up performance and prevent failure. At the end of March 2021, 50% of local authorities were judged Good or Outstanding at their most recent inspection, compared to 36% at the end of academic year March 2017.This year, the department is investing £3 million in our leadership programmes, supporting more than 750 leaders across 110 local authorities. These programmes support leaders from practice supervisor level through to the Directors of Children’s ServicesWe recognise the challenges that local authorities are facing, including the pressure on children’s services. Therefore, we are providing local authorities with £4.8 billion of new grant funding over the Spending Review period to enable the sector to maintain vital frontline services, including children’s social care.

Children's Centres

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed or been downgraded in each of the last 10 years in (a) Enfield North, (b) London and (c) England.

Will Quince: Based on the information supplied by local authorities, as of 8 December 2021[1] there were 2,301 children’s centres and 699 children’s centre linked sites[2] open to families and children providing children's centre services as part of a network.The attached table shows the number of children’s centres sites that have closed in Enfield North, London and England in each year since 2011[3].The department does not routinely collect data on the services provided by children’s centres. This data is held at a local level.[1] Source: This is based on information supplied by local authorities to the Get Information about Schools (GIAS) database: https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk and internal management information held by the department on historical children’s centre closure dates as of 8 December 2021. These figures may be different to previous answers, and could change again in future, since local authorities may update their data at any time. The GIAS collects data on children’s centres that local authorities have closed on a permanent basis. It does not collect data on children’s centres that local authorities may have closed temporarily in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.[2] No data is held on the date a children’s centre converts to a children’s centre linked site, therefore, while a figure for the split between children’s centres and linked sites at the point a query is made can be established, it is not possible to provide a historic breakdown of this figure in previous years.[3] No closures have been reported in 2021.88834_table (xlsx, 25.6KB)

Holiday Activities and Food Programme

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the reach of the Schools Holidays and Activities Programme was over summer 2021; and what proportion of children on free school meals accessed that programme.

Will Quince: Local authorities were asked to send reports to the department by 15 October 2021, including detailed information on their delivery of the programme to date. The department is now examining these detailed individual reports and may need to clarify information with local authorities in some cases. The department will then consider the best way to share information on the programme. The department has also commissioned Ecorys UK to conduct an external evaluation of the programme. Fieldwork has taken place during and shortly after this year’s summer holidays, and we expect to publish findings in the new year.

Children: Day Care

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps he has taken to support nurseries, childminders, and other early years providers in (a) Enfield North, (b) London and (c) England.

Will Quince: The department has spent over £3.5 billion in each of the past three years on early education entitlements, and the government will continue to support families with their childcare costs.At the Spending Review on 27 October 2021, we announced that we are investing additional funding for the early years entitlements worth £160 million in the 2022-23 financial year, £180 million in 2023-24 and £170 million in 2024-25, compared to the current year. This is for local authorities to increase hourly rates paid to childcare providers for the government’s free childcare entitlement offers and reflects cost pressures as well as anticipated changes in the number of eligible children.As a result of this additional funding, for 2022-23 we will increase the hourly funding rates for all local authorities by 21p an hour for the two-year-old entitlement and, for the vast majority of areas, by 17p an hour for the three and four-year-old entitlement. We are also increasing the minimum funding floor, meaning no council can receive less than £4.61 per hour for the three and four-year-old entitlements.We continue to work with the early years sector and officials from the department are in regular telephone and email contact with Early Years Leads in all local authorities in England, including Enfield and the other 32 boroughs in the London region, to understand how they can best be supported to ensure that sufficient safe, appropriate and affordable childcare is available for those who need it now, and for all families who need it in the longer term.

Free School Meals: Migrants

David Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of the continued provision of free school meals to children whose families are subject to the no recourse to public funds condition.

Will Quince: The department is working with departments across government to evaluate access to free school meals for families with no recourse to public funds. In the meantime, the extension of eligibility will continue with the current income threshold until a decision on long-term eligibility is made.Once the review is complete, we will update our guidance accordingly. The department's current guidance regarding the extension can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/guidance-for-the-temporary-extension-of-free-school-meals-eligibility-to-nrpf-groups.

GCE A-level and GCSE: Coronavirus

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to introduce measures for the assessment of (a) GCSEs and (b) A-Levels for the 2021-22 academic year to reflect disruption from school absence due to covid-19 infection.

Mr Robin Walker: The department continues to monitor the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on education closely, including through attendance data. It remains the government’s firm intention that examinations and assessments should go ahead next year. The department and Ofqual consulted on and announced a range of adaptations to exams and assessments over this academic year. The package of measures includes:Choice of topics in GCSE English literature, history, ancient history and choice of content in GCSE geography.Provision of advance information by 7 February 2022 on the focus of the content of exams to be used as revision guidance in all GCSE subjects without optionality, and in AS and A levels.Changes to the requirements for the delivery of practical activities in science subjects, and assessment in art and design.Provision of support materials in GCSE mathematics, physics and combined science exams.The department engaged with a range of stakeholders, including students and parents, on these measures, and sought to ensure that students have breadth of knowledge, whilst also giving them support with focusing revision.  In the interests of fairness to students, Ofqual has also confirmed that 2022 will be a transition year for grading and has set out its plans for a mid-point between 2021 and pre-COVID-19 grades.If there is significant further disruption to education, the government has the flexibility to bring forward advance information to support students further. Furthermore, the government understands that contingency arrangements are also needed to deal with the unlikely event that exams cannot go ahead fairly or safely.  Following a joint consultation with Ofqual, the department has confirmed that should exams not be able to go ahead, students will receive teacher assessed grades (TAGs) instead. The changes to the TAGs process for 2022 takes account of lessons learned from 2021 and minimises burdens on both teachers and students. Further information on plans for 2022 assessments can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/news/contingency-plans-confirmed-for-gcses-as-and-a-levels.

Schools: Coronavirus

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish guidance on the rules for isolation of classrooms in the event that a pupil in the class tests positive for the Omicron Covid-19 variant.

Mr Robin Walker: From Tuesday 14 December, a new national approach to daily testing for contacts of COVID-19 was introduced (including until the end of this term). All adults who are fully vaccinated and children aged 5 to 18 years and 6 months, identified as a contact of someone with COVID-19, whether Omicron or not, should take a lateral flow device test every day for 7 days instead of self-isolating. Daily testing by close contacts will help to slow the spread of COVID-19.Daily testing for contacts of COVID-19 will help protect schools, colleges and nurseries by reducing transmission and help keep pupils in face-to-face education.Children under five years old do not need to take part in daily testing for contacts of COVID-19 and do not need to isolate.

BTEC Qualifications

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment has been made on the impact of removing BTEC courses.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the impact of plans to remove funding for BTEC qualifications on students from (a) SEND backgrounds and (b) deprived areas.

Alex Burghart: The department will continue to fund some BTECs and other qualifications in future where there is a clear need for skills and knowledge that A levels and T Levels cannot provide, and where they meet new quality standards. Qualifications such as BTECs will continue to play an important role for 16 to 19 year olds and adults, as they do now. This includes for students taking mixed programmes of A levels and other qualifications, and those taking qualifications such as BTECs as their full programme of study where there is no A level or T Level.We have been clear that we expect our reforms to be generally positive as students will have access to higher quality qualifications in the future, including the new T Levels. T Levels have been developed with over 250 leading employers, have significantly longer teaching hours and include a meaningful nine-week industry placement that sets them apart from many current vocational qualifications. This will put students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and from disadvantaged backgrounds, in a stronger position to progress into skilled employment or further study.Plans were announced on 15 November allowing an extra year before overlapping qualifications are removed. This extra year will allow the department to continue to work hard to support the growth of T Levels and gives more notice to providers, awarding organisations, employers, students and parents so that they can prepare for the changes.We are committed to ensuring that T Levels are accessible to all young people and have introduced flexibilities for SEND students. The T Level Transition Programme will support young people who are not yet ready to progress to a T Level but have the potential to succeed on it after some further preparation.

Ministry of Justice

Ministry of Justice: Official Hospitality

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether any social events took place between three or more people within his Departmental buildings between (a) 5 November 2020 and 1 December 2020 and (b) 16 December 2020 and 22 February 2021.

James Cartlidge: This information is not collected. At the time, staff were expected to work from home and undertake meetings remotely, wherever possible.

Prisoners' Release

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convicted offenders were released in error from (a) courts and (b) prisons since 2010; what the reasons were for those releases; and what the convictions were for which a custodial sentence had been received for each of those released.

Victoria Atkins: A prisoner is released in error if they are released earlier than their correct release date, they will be unlawfully at large until and unless they are subsequently released correctly or returned to custody. If the person so released is not aware of the error and makes no attempt to evade arrest, then they have committed no offence and, in that sense, they may not be at fault. Releases in Error are monitored closely to analyse the frequency across the estate and identify any trends nationally, while taking into consideration the management of risk to the public. There were 678 releases in error in total between April 2010 and March 2021 (these figures may include any remand prisoners released in error) There were 581 releases in error from all prisons between April 2010 and March 2021. There were 97 releases in error from courts (all escort areas) between April 2010 and March 2021. Please see data below for year-on-year releases in error from (a) courts and (b) prisons since 2010.201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021All prisons and escort areas686342445049647266645046All prisons625540364342505956554142All escort areas682877141310994Please see data below for year-on-year releases in error by conviction between April 2012 and March 2021. (data only available from 2012)  2012201320142015201620172018201920202021Violence against the person32496591352Sexual offences2102200121Robbery4614754151Theft offences891515142515121110Criminal damage and arson0122212202Drug offences71024287337Possession of weapons2201444343Public order offences1102234303Miscellaneous crimes against society51657641064Fraud offences2110200100Summary non-motoring6654612121254Summary motoring1000202000Offence not recorded14141833399 Releases in error are predominantly caused by administration errors either by the courts or the prisons, releases in error from establishments could also be a result of errors by the court, if a prisoner was to manipulate his / her own release in error (for example by producing false documents) then this would be classified as an escape.

Prisoners' Release: Families

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken since the Farmer Review to increase the involvement of families in release planning.

Victoria Atkins: We know that supporting and maintaining positive family relationships is an important factor in reducing reoffending, and positive family relationships have been identified as a protective factor in the desistance from crime.While the focus for strengthening and maintaining engagement between offenders and their friends and family has been on working with those in prisons, it is essential that the ‘golden thread’ that Lord Farmer highlighted be pulled through the gate to support those in the community.HMPPS are committed to engaging with families and significant others to integrate offenders into the community on release from prison. To this end we have launched several initiatives to test this approach, such as a 10-year proof of concept project called ‘Grand Avenues’, which will focus on targeted support for male offenders and their families, in an area of Cardiff, through co-design, ongoing supervision and engagement upon their release in the community.HMPPS are additionally investing in initiatives to test formal engagement of families and significant others in Probation supervision which meets the expectations of HM Inspector of Probation and has outcomes for reducing reoffending, communities and individuals.

Prisoners' Release: Employment

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to assist offenders to obtain employment after their release from prison.

Victoria Atkins: We know that employment reduces reoffending significantly, with prison leavers in employment being nine percentage points less likely to reoffend. In the Prisons Strategy White Paper published last week, we set out our plans to transform how prisons get offenders into work. We will open our doors to the private sector to overhaul the opportunities for work offered in prisons and on Release on Temporary Licence. This will improve prison leavers’ job prospects by giving them skills and experience with real employers. We will also drive job outcomes on release, and improve the service we offer employers, by implementing dedicated Employment Advisors in prisons and through the development of a digital tool that will match prisoners to jobs on release. Employers play a role in providing advice and challenge on how we can make a step-change in prison leaver employment. We are working to establish more local employment boards to link prisons with business networks and provide this support. We also need to ensure that prisons are performing and developing these links so are establishing ‘Employment Hubs’, the equivalent of a ‘jobcentre in a prison’ where prisoners can find out about job opportunities. This is part of our £200m a year investment by 2024-25 to improve prison leavers’ access to accommodation, employment support and substance misuse treatment and further measures for early intervention to tackle youth offending.

Prisoners: Basic Skills

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what baseline assessment is used to judge improvements in basic numeracy and literacy rates of offenders in prison.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convicted offenders entered the prison estate in the last three years who lacked basic literacy and numeracy skills comparable to Key Stage 4 qualifications.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convicted offenders left the prison estate in the last three years who possessed basic literacy and numeracy skills comparable to Key Stage 4 qualifications.

Victoria Atkins: Every prisoner should undertake an English and Maths assessment on entry into prison. The assessment is undertaken using the Basic and Key Skills Builder Tool. This is a standard functional skills assessment tool used across Further Education in the community as well as in prisons. The current Prison Education Framework contracts started in April 2019. 55,099 prisoners undertook an initial assessment between April 2019 and March 2020, over half of the initial assessments undertaken were at entry level 1-3 (equivalent to primary school): 57% in English and 61% in maths. During this period 11% of maths and 12% of English Initial Assessments were at level 2 (equivalent to Key Stage 4), or above. We do not currently assess on exit from prison. However, we plan to start measuring the progress prisoners make in English and maths from the start of next year. The Prison Strategy White Paper published on 7th December 2021 sets out the clear strategic priority to improve the numeracy and literacy of prisoners.

Prison Officers: Retirement

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what consultations his Department has had with prison officers before raising their retirement age to 68.

Victoria Atkins: Prior to 2007, the pension age within the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme was 60. In July 2007 Cabinet Office introduced a career average scheme for new entrants, which increased the normal pension age from 60 to 65. In designing the 2007 scheme, Cabinet Office did give consideration to the fact that the prison officer role was a physically demanding one, but they concluded that, as there were a number of other Civil Servants whose jobs were similarly demanding, that a lower pension age could not be justified compared to other scheme members. From 2015 the pension age in the Civil Service Pension Scheme was increased to reflect the State Penson Age of the member, after the recommendations made in the 2011 Hutton Report on the sustainability of public sector pensions. We highly value our hardworking prison staff and offer access to medical professionals and an employee assistance programme to ensure continued physical and mental wellbeing. The pension age for Prison Officers is set under the Civil Service Pension Scheme, which is the responsibility of the Cabinet Office and consultation was undertaken by them.I have met the Prison Officer’s Association for our introductory meeting at which a range of issues were raised, including pension age. I am meeting them in the new year to discuss this issue again.

Treasury

Business: Government Assistance

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to allow the backdating of eligibility for access to covid-19 business support based on rateable value in cases where the Valuation Office Agency has backdated a reduction in rateable value to before the pandemic in response to an appeal made before the covid-19 outbreak but only determined in November2021; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: To ensure payments could be made quickly and efficiently to businesses, eligibility for COVID-19 business grants was linked to the business rates system and a property’s rateable value. The £51,000 threshold for the Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF) and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLG), which both closed in August 2020, was based on the existing small business rates multiplier. This served as an established definition that local authorities could use to quickly make payments to businesses that were less likely to have sufficient cash reserves to meet their fixed costs. However, as the pathway of the virus evolved, the economic impact on businesses changed and the Government responded by adapting the scope and qualifying criteria for various support schemes. In the case of grants, business premises with a rateable value of over £51,000, and in the most impacted sectors, were eligible for the grant schemes introduced from August 2020. From August 2020 to July 2021, businesses have been able to benefit from the Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG), a pro-rata grant payment of up to £3,000 a month. This is in addition to the Closed Business Lockdown Payment, a one-off payment of up to £9,000, and a Restart Grant of up to £18,000. The guidance for local authorities for the grant schemes stipulated that any changes to the rating list after the date in which a grant scheme started, including changes which have been backdated to this date, should be ignored for the purposes of eligibility. Local authorities were not required to adjust, pay or recover grants where the rating list was subsequently amended retrospectively. This means that businesses whose rateable value was over the threshold of £51,000 but has since been reduced will not be eligible for the SBGF or the RHLGF, nor will they have to repay the more generous grants they subsequently received between August 2020 and July 2021. The rateable value of any non-domestic property is intended to represent the annual rent a property would achieve if let on the open market at a valuation date which is set in law. All non-domestic properties are assessed on this basis by the Valuation Office Agency in England, independently of central Government.

Retail Trade: Non-domestic Rates

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many individual (a) supermarket, (b) retail warehouse and parks, (c) shopping centre and (d) shops properties there are in (i) each English region and (b) England; and what the rateable value is of those properties is.

Lucy Frazer: Data broken down into each of the specific categories requested is not available. However, the Valuation Office Agency publishes its non-domestic stock of properties here: http://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/non-domestic-rating-stock-of-properties-including-business-floorspace-2021 Relevant data by Special Category (SCAat) Code for retail premises, large food stores/superstores and shops can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/992133/NDR_Stock_of_Properties_Tables_RV_bands_by_area_2021.zip This links to a number of files, including two which provide relevant data by SCat code for English region, and for England:SCAT_AREAS_N_ALL (showing frequency of count)SCAT_AREAS_RV_ALL (aggregated rateable values)

Tax Collection: Exemptions

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what standards or criteria are used by HMRC to assess  whether to apply a discretionary exemption from tax collection for a person who has been a victim of fraud.

Lucy Frazer: HMRC is a non-ministerial Government department created by statute. Its powers and duties are defined by law and it must abide by what the law says. There are circumstances where HMRC can exercise its discretionary powers not to collect tax that is legally due. The circumstances in which the Commissioners can exercise their discretion under these powers are set out in case law and are tightly defined. Further details are provided in HMRC’s Admin Law Manual published here: https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/admin-law-manual/adml3100

Cash Dispensing

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Which analysis, published 9 December 2021, on the increased rate of bank branch closures in the last 12 months, if he will make it his policy to set a timetable for bringing forward legislative proposals to protect access to cash.

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if the Government will make it its policy to (a) include legislative proposals protecting access to cash in next year's Queen's Speech and (b) engage with UK Finance's Access to Cash Action Group to inform those proposals.

John Glen: The Government recognises that cash has ongoing importance to the daily lives of millions of people across the UK, particularly to those in vulnerable groups. The Government has committed to legislating to protect access to cash for those who need it and ensuring that the UK's cash infrastructure is sustainable for the long term. To support the development of legislation, the Government has undertaken an Access to Cash Consultation seeking views on proposals for new laws to make sure people only need to travel reasonable distances to pay in or take out cash. The Government’s proposals intend to support the continued use of cash in people’s daily lives and help to enable local businesses to continue accepting cash by ensuring they can access deposit facilities. The consultation closed on 23rd of September, and the Government will set out next steps in due course. Alongside the Government’s commitment to legislate, industry also has an important role to protect access to cash. The Government therefore welcomes the announcement to fund additional shared service Bank Hubs and the direction set by the recent announcement from the Cash Action Group on industry commitments to support access to cash. I look forward to seeing what results these industry initiatives deliver in protecting cash facilities for local communities across the UK.

Financial Services: Regulation

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the introduction of model litigant principles into the regulatory frameworks for (a) companies, (b) individuals and c) products in the UK financial services sector.

John Glen: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is an operationally independent, non-governmental body, given statutory powers by the Financial Services and Markets Act (2000) as amended by the Financial Services Act (2012). It is responsible for the regulation of conduct in the financial services sector.Although the Treasury sets the legal framework for the regulation of financial services, it has strictly limited powers in relation to the FCA. It is the responsibility of the FCA, as the independent regulator, to consider the benefits and costs of introducing new requirements in relation to authorised persons or regulated products.

Public Expenditure: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what Barnett consequential will the Welsh Government receive from the £12.8bn allocated to the HS2 East Core Network in the Integrated Rail Plan.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what Barnett consequential the Welsh Government will receive from the £17.2 billion allocated to the Northern Powerhouse Rail Core Network in the Integrated Rail Plan.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what Barnett consequential the Welsh Government will receive from the £5.4 billion allocated to the Transpennine Route Upgrade in the Integrated Rail Plan.

Mr Simon Clarke: The UK Government is responsible for much of the rail infrastructure in Wales, and therefore spends money on this infrastructure rather than funding the Welsh Government to do so.   In line with this responsibility, the UK Government is currently delivering an ambitious programme to upgrade Welsh railways, including through the electrification of the Severn Tunnel and building a new station at Bow Street.  The Barnett formula is applied at fiscal events when departmental budgets are set rather than being applied when departments announce how they are spending their budgets. At the recent 2021 Spending Review the UK Government provided the Welsh Government with more than £18 billion on average each year over the spending review period. The Welsh Government will determine how to spend this on its devolved responsibilities.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Urban Areas: Sustainable Development

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support towns, cities and communities in the UK that are conducting voluntary local reviews; and if she will meet with relevant UN officials to raise awareness of reviews submitted from UK towns, cities, and communities.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many meetings she has had since her appointment with UN officials on voluntary local reviews of progress towards the SDGs submitted from UK towns, cities, and communities.

Amanda Milling: Everyone in the UK has a role to play in helping to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, including communities, local government, the private sector, and civil society. Bristol launched the UK's first Voluntary Local Review in 2019 and we are pleased that other cities and towns are considering doing the same.The UK Government co-led an event with Bristol City Council at this year's UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Regional Sustainable Development Forum. The event helped share the experiences of cities across Europe, North America and beyond at the forefront of addressing the SDGs as they recover from COVID-19.

Central African Republic: Armed Conflict

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the roles of (a) Wagner mercenaries, (b) Government forces and (c) rebel forces in (i) human rights abuses and (ii) restrictions on humanitarian access in the Central African Republic.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of how Wagner mercenaries are paid by the Government of the Central African Republic.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the security options available to the government of the Central African Republic in providing security in that country; and what recent representations she has made to that government on establishing a peace process between it and rebel groups.

Vicky Ford: The ongoing violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) continues to take a distressing toll on the civilian population, compounding an already acute humanitarian situation. In 2021, the UK contributed £21 million to the humanitarian response in the CAR and has stood alongside our allies at the UN in calling for all parties to the conflict to respect human rights and international humanitarian law. I spoke with President Touadéra on 1 November where I commended his call for a unilateral ceasefire and underlined the importance of an inclusive peace-building process.I have voiced deep concern at the foreign mercenary activity of the Wagner Group in the Central African Republic. In my statement of 29 September 2021 on the Wagner Group, I made clear that they are a driver of conflict and capitalises on instability for their own interests. This is true in CAR as well as elsewhere on the continent. Wagner does not offer long-term security answers in Africa and operates opaquely. The October 2021 report from UN experts found that the Wagner Group had violently harassed and intimidated civilians, including peacekeepers, journalists, aid workers and minorities in CAR and called on the government to end all relationships with the Wagner Group.The priority in CAR continues to be on ending violence and building security, and the UK continues to work closely with international partners to support efforts to bring stability to the country. The UN Mission in CAR, MINUSCA, will be central to this and the UK contributes approximately £40 million per year in support of their work.

China: Uighurs

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the treatment of Uyghur Christians in Xianjaing, China.

Amanda Milling: We remain deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of religion or belief in China, including the persecution on the grounds of their religion or belief. The freedom to practise, change or share ones faith or belief without discrimination or violent opposition is a human right that all people should enjoy.We regularly raise our concerns about human rights with the Chinese authorities. The Prime Minister did so in a telephone call with President Xi on 29 October, as did the Foreign Secretary in her introductory call with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 22 October.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many and what proportion of the target to donate 100 million covid-19 vaccine doses to poorer countries by mid-2022 has been delivered to date.

Wendy Morton: As of 9 December, the UK has given 19.9 million doses to COVAX, of which over 12.5 million have been delivered to developing countries - the rest are being processed, and will be allocated in due course. A further 6.3 million will be delivered to COVAX directly from AstraZeneca in the coming weeks. We have also delivered 4.6 million doses on a bilateral basis.

Sustainable Development

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals in domestic policymaking.

Amanda Milling: The Foreign Secretary and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Ministers meet regularly with Cabinet and Ministerial colleagues to discuss the delivery of the Government's agenda. The Cabinet Office supports the FCDO, which has overall policy oversight for the Sustainable Development Goals, on domestic coordination and implementation by embedding the Sustainable Development Goals into the Government's Planning and Performance Framework.Outcome Delivery Plans were published for all Government departments on 15 July 2021. These plans highlight how each department will support the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals for FY21-22. Departments continue to report on performance against these plans as part of the 2021/22 Annual Reports and Accounts process.

Ethiopia: Humanitarian Aid

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact on the risk of (a) starvation and (b) malnourishment of the suspension of the distribution of World Food Programme aid in Kombolcha and Dessie towns following a deterioration in the local security situation; and what steps she is taking to enable secure humanitarian access in that area.

Vicky Ford: The conflict in Ethiopia has caused huge levels of suffering with the UN estimating 9.4 million people across the north of the country in need of food aid. Of this number, it is estimated that over 400,000 people in Tigray are experiencing famine-like conditions. Without free and unfettered access for relief agencies and a cessation of hostilities the situation will deteriorate and young children will bear the brunt.The UK is working to bring an end to the violence and to facilitate humanitarian access. We remain very concerned about the security context including in Kombolcha and Dessie in Amhara. Armed violence poses both a threat to civilians as well as to humanitarian actors many of whom have suspended or reduced their operations owing to insecurity. I have called on all parties to urgently agree a ceasefire and allow humanitarian aid through. I spoke with State Minister for Foreign Affairs Redwan on 18 November and the Ethiopian Minister of Justice, Gedion, on 6 December. I have continued to emphasise the need for a ceasefire through recent calls with my international counterparts, including Kenya and the African Union.

China: Olympic Games

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether any (a) UK officials, (b) Ministers or (c) diplomatic representatives will attend the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Amanda Milling: As the Prime Minister has made clear, no officials or ministers will represent the UK Government at the Beijing Winter Olympics or Paralympics.

Uyghur Tribunal

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the findings of the independent Uyghur Tribunal announced on 9 December 2021; and what steps she plans to take in response to those findings.

Amanda Milling: We have followed the Uyghur Tribunal's work closely, and will study its conclusions carefully. We welcome the Tribunal's contribution to building international awareness and understanding of the human rights violations occurring in Xinjiang. The UK has led international efforts to hold China to account at the UN, imposed sanctions on senior Chinese government officials, and announced measures to help ensure no UK organisations are complicit in these violations through their supply chains. We will continue to work with international partners to increase the pressure on China to change its behaviour.

Cybercrime: Middle East

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the letter to her of 11 November 2021 from ten hon. Members calling on the Government to blacklist the Israeli NSO Group in light of cyberattacks carried out on UK soil against refugees, activists and parliamentarians by Gulf states including Bahrain and the UAE; when she plans to reply to that letter; if she will make her policy to (i) impose a trade sanction on the NSO Group, (ii) suspend the Gulf Strategy Fund pending an independent inquiry into the human rights implications of its programmes, (iii) suspend UK spyware licences and cybersecurity contracts to Bahrain, the UAE and Saudi Arabia pending an independent investigation and (iv) publicly raise concerns with the Governments of Bahrain, the UAE and Saudi Arabia on their role in cyberattacks carried out in the UK using Pegasus software.

James Cleverly: The letter of 11 November from the ten honourable members is being reviewed and a response will be sent in due course. It is important that we ensure that commercial cyber tools are used in a legal and responsible way. They should not be used in ways that threaten human rights. The UK is committed to countering the proliferation of high end cyber capabilities, and we will continue to work with international partners to achieve this. Commercial cyber tools should be used in a responsible way.

Developing Countries: Poliomyelitis

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to sustain progress towards global polio eradication, including through the global health contribution of polio surveillance network.

Wendy Morton: The UK remains committed to polio eradication, and supports the work of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), to which we have provided £1.37 billion since 1995. GPEI have led efforts that have eradicated wild polio from all but 2 countries, with the African region being declared free of wild polio last year. The difficult economic situation has meant that we have had to reduce the aid budget, including for programmes such as GPEI. We will return to spending 0.7% of our Gross National Income on Official Development Assistance when the fiscal situation allows.The UK is clear on its support to maintain polio surveillance. As demonstrated in our participation at the World Health Assembly and G7 communiques, new pandemic measures should build on existing surveillance systems from polio.

Cristina Cantillo

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the killing of human rights and LGBT rights campaigner Cristina Cantillo in Colombia.

Wendy Morton: The British Government remains concerned about the persistent level of violence towards human rights' defenders, and social leaders in Colombia. Through our Conflict, Stability, and Security Fund (CSSF), which has provided £68 million in support of peace agreement implementation, security, and stability in Colombia since 2015, we will continue to prioritise funding interventions to protect human rights defenders and social leaders.Colombia is a UK 'Human Rights Priority Country,' and we consistently raise our concerns regarding violence against human rights defenders and social leaders with the Colombian Government, and in multilateral fora. Most recently, as the UK's Minister for Europe and Americas, I [Minister Wendy Morton] spoke to Vice President Ramírez regarding the human rights situation during a visit to Colombia from 22-24 November.

South Sudan: Humanitarian Aid

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she has taken to ensure that the humanitarian response in South Sudan is scaled to meet the needs of those affected.

Vicky Ford: The humanitarian crisis in South Sudan is deeply concerning and at a scale that cannot be met by individual donors. We remain a leading donor in South Sudan. Our strategic ODA priorities are: global health security, girls' education, humanitarian preparedness and response, open societies, and conflict resolution. This year HMG will: help 400,000 girls to access education and improve the learning environment for all South Sudanese children; provide life-saving access to quality health services across 8 states in South Sudan; and reach an estimated 2 million people with at least one form of humanitarian assistance.

South Sudan: Floods

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what additional funding she has allocated to the emergency flood response in South Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she has taken to address the humanitarian situation in South Sudan following the recent floods as outlined in the UNOCHA Global Humanitarian Overview; and if she will make a statement.

Vicky Ford: In the last three years South Sudan has seen widespread and protracted flooding driven by abnormally intense and extensive rains. We are deeply concerned at the impact such flooding has on millions of ordinary South Sudanese, exacerbating the existing humanitarian crisis. As a leading donor to South Sudan, HMG aims to reach 2 million people with some form of humanitarian assistance this year. Our humanitarian spend of £34.5 million this year includes help to those impacted by flooding. For example HMG contributions to the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund and the International Federation of Red Cross Disaster Relief Emergency Fund have provided emergency food, shelter, water and sanitation services to those affected.In addition, we have provided emergency support to those affected by flooding through existing programmes. This includes in Jonglei State where we have supported more than 15,000 displaced people with soap, buckets, water purification supplies and mosquito nets. In Unity State plastic sheeting, blankets and cooking supplies have been provided to more than 9,400 affected by floods. We also continue to press the Government of South Sudan to prioritise providing their own funding for essential services for their citizens.

South Sudan: Internally Displaced People

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she has taken to ensure that basic water and sanitation services are available in the Bentiu camp for internally displaced persons in South Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has received of the level of malnutrition observed in the Bentiu camp for internally displaced people in South Sudan; and what nutritional and primary health assistance she is providing to those affected.

Vicky Ford: In the last three years South Sudan has seen widespread and protracted flooding driven by abnormally intense and extensive rains. In Bentiu, climate and conflict have put more people in need of humanitarian support. Flood waters have also made the delivery of aid even more challenging, impacting supply routes including around the Bentiu Internally Displaced People (IDP) camp.In December £500,000 of HMG humanitarian programme funding was reallocated to provide additional helicopter capacity so that humanitarian organisations could deliver aid to areas severely impacted by flooding, including Bentiu. We have also provided funding to different UN bodies and funds such as the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which have allocated resources to Bentiu, and the World Food Programme who aim to support 37,000 people in Bentiu IDP camp. The South Sudan Humanitarian Fund that we contribute to has also recently allocated $2.3 million to support health, water and sanitation services for displaced people in Bentiu IDP camp. This additional funding which will support pregnant women, provide safe water and hygiene promotion, improve waste management, and help prevent further cases of hepatitis.

Armed Conflict: Children

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will prioritise the children and armed conflict agenda within the Government’s updated approach to conflict.

Vicky Ford: In line with the commitments in the Integrated Review, the conflict centre in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is working with a range of partners to consider and further develop our approach to conflict. We are assessing evidence for what works and how to harness the full range of Her Majesty's Government (HMG) capabilities to increase our impact in preventing, managing and resolving conflict in priority regions. The UK is committed to protecting all children affected by armed conflict.The UK prioritises efforts to protect children affected by armed conflict through our active membership of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) which leads the international response to violations committed against children in conflict. The Working Group focuses on responding to the UN Secretary General's CAAC annual report which lists governments and armed groups for committing grave violations against children. We further protect children in armed conflict through our extensive Girls' Education Campaign. The UK advocates for universalisation of the Safe Schools Declaration and by situating the Declaration within our Girls' Education Campaign, we are ensuring implementation is gender responsive; focusing on getting girls back into school and recognising they are impacted in unique ways by conflict and by pauses in their education.We will set out more detail on the FCDO's approach to conflict in the New Year.

Armed Conflict: Children

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to hold to account those responsible for the recruitment and use of children in conflict.

Vicky Ford: The UK is firmly committed to ending all violations against children in armed conflict. We use our permanent UN Security Council (UNSC) membership to ensure conflict-related child protection issues remain a key part of UNSC discussions and that UN operations address child protection issues. The UK is also an active member of the UNSC Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), which leads the international response to violations committed against children in conflict. The Working Group issues calls and concrete requests to those governments and armed groups listed in the Secretary-General's annual report on children and armed conflict, supplementing the work of the UN to get parties to enter into concrete action plans to end the recruitment and use of children.As a member of the UNSC Working Group, the UK applies diplomatic pressure to listed parties to enter into concrete UN action plans to verify and release any children associated with armed groups and forces, to prevent re-recruitment and ensure the provision of appropriate reintegration and rehabilitation assistance. We also press for the inclusion of child protection provisions in UN peacekeeping mandate renewals and resolutions.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Official Hospitality

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any social events took place between three or more people within his Departmental buildings between (a) 5 November 2020 and 1 December 2020 and (b) 16 December 2020 and 22 February 2021.

Leo Docherty: This information is not collected. At the time, staff were expected to work from home and undertake meetings remotely, wherever possible.

Warships: Deployment

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the speech by the First Sea Lord on 19 May 2021, what steps he plans to take to double the number of deployable destroyer and frigate days between 2020 and 2030 in the context of the RDEL budget being reduced in the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Army: Reorganisation

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence,  with reference to his oral contribution of 25 November 2021, Official Report, column 484, what estimate he has made of the number of Army personnel that will be based in each nation.

James Heappey: Whilst there are exact figures known for the Devolved Nations, the exact figures for England are not held. For consistency, we have therefore rounded all personnel figures to the nearest 100. Current StructureFuture Soldier Structure No. of major unitsNo. of Personnel (Regular)% of the Army (Regular)No. of Personnel (Reserve)% of the Army (Reserve)No. of major unitsNo. of Personnel (Regular)% of the Army (Regular)No. of Personnel (Reserve)% of the Army (Reserve)Scotland64,1855.1%3,40411%73,9845.5%3,40411%England114c71,40086%c23,40077%109c61,50084%c23,40077%Wales21,4191.7%1,6705%31,7152.4%1,6705%Northern Ireland31,6041.9%2,0477%31,4342%2,0477% Additionally, the British Army currently has c3,800 Regular personnel (c5.3% of overall Regular workforce) based overseas. This includes 3 x Major Units (2 x Bns in Cyprus and 1 x Bn in Brunei).

Army: Reorganisation

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2021 to Question 83229 on Army: Reorganisation, what estimate he has made of the total planned strength of the infantry by 2024-25.

James Heappey: The total planned strength of the infantry by 2025-25 will be c.19,400.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Afghan nationals who applied to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme between 1 April 2021 and 15 August 2021 (a) have outstanding applications, (b) are in Afghanistan and are in receipt of an M number, (c) have travelled to a third country and are in receipt of an M number and (d) have been relocated to the UK.

James Heappey: Due to the complexity of the information requested it will take time to answer in sufficient detail. I will write to the hon. Member once this information is available; and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Afghan nationals with letters of eligibility for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme were not evacuated as of (a) 28 August 2021 and (b) 10 December 2021.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Afghan nationals with letters of eligibility for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme were called forward to Hamid Karzai International Airport but were not evacuated as of (a) 28 August 2021 and (b) 10 December 2021.

James Heappey: All those ARAP eligible Afghans who were called forward to Hamid Karzai International Airport during OP PITTING had both had their eligibility for ARAP confirmed and also successfully undergone the Home Office visa process.As of 28 August 2021, 311 ARAP eligible individuals were not yet evacuated from Afghanistan. As of 10 December 2021, 166 of these are currently in Afghanistan. The ARAP scheme is not time limited, and we continue to receive and approve applications to the scheme. Efforts to support all eligible Afghans and to help them to come to the UK are continuing.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Afghan nationals who applied to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme between 1 April 2021 and 15 August 2021 are being processed in third countries, broken down by individual countries; and whether there is a deadline for applicants to be processed and evacuated to the UK.

James Heappey: The UK has no deadline for processing applications. For those in third countries, the deadlines are based on the terms of the visa under which they entered, which vary considerably. The MOD and FCDO, including staff based in Consulates and Embassies, continue to work closely with third countries in order to provide support to those who require it. The release of the numbers of ARAP eligible families in individual countries would potentially be harmful to the UK's international relations and to our ability to continue to help those people.The ARAP scheme is not time limited, and we continue to receive and approve applications to the scheme. All those who worked for HMG in qualifying roles remain eligible. In addition, those who worked in meaningful enabling roles alongside HMG in extraordinary and unconventional contexts will also be considered. ARAP personnel are continuing to work at pace to support all eligible Afghans and efforts to help them to come to the UK are continuing.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Afghan nationals applied to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme between 1 April 2021 and 15 August 2021.

James Heappey: As at 15 August 2021, 3,946 valid applications had been made to the ARAP scheme since its launch on 1 April 2021.These were applications that had been assessed as legitimate, demonstrated by the provision of biometric data and visa application forms. The ARAP team also received a significant number of duplicate applications and others which did not meet these criteria which are not included in this total.

Boxer Vehicles: Testing

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to conduct reliability growth trials for Boxer.

Jeremy Quin: The UK Mechanised Infantry Programme will conduct confirmatory reliability tests, however there are currently no plans to conduct reliability growth trials for BOXER as the base Off the Shelf vehicle is already a qualified design and the project is drawing from existing reliability data. This will be kept under review.

Artillery: Decommissioning

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what vehicle is intended to replace the AS90 artillery capability when the AS90 retires.

Jeremy Quin: The process for the identification of the mobile Fires platform, the successor to the AS90, is well underway, but not yet complete. A number of solutions remain under consideration but it would be inappropriate to comment on these until this process is complete.

Artillery: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total cost of the Mobile Fires Programme is and if the programme will remain on budget.

Jeremy Quin: The Mobile Fires Platform (the principal project within the Close Fires Programme) remains in the Concept phase. It is, therefore, too early to understand the whole life cost of the Programme.

Artillery: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when does he expect the Mobile Fires Programme to reach initial operational capability.

Jeremy Quin: On current plans, an Initial Operating Capability for the Mobile Fires Platform will be achieved in 2029.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Official Hospitality

Alex Davies-Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether any social events took place between three or more people within her Departmental buildings between (a) 5 November 2020 and 1 December 2020 and (b) 16 December 2020 and 22 February 2021.

Guy Opperman: This information is not collected. At the time, staff were expected to work from home and undertake meetings remotely, wherever possible.

Universal Credit

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of working universal credit recipients are paid by their employers on a non-monthly cycle.

David Rutley: The proportion of working Universal Credit recipients who are paid in a non-monthly-cycles is 37.0%.Notes:Percentages have been rounded to 1 decimal place.Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) Real Time Earnings (RTE) data has been used to identify pay frequency and number of employers. This does not include self-reported or self-employed earnings.Pay frequency as reported by the employer has been used to determine pay cycle.Category 'Non-Monthly Pay Cycle' includes those claimants paid weekly, fortnightly, four-weekly or another non-monthly pay cycleUC claimants present in the UC Household Statistics in August 2021 have been included, some of these will have zero entitlement due to earnings.Only Great Britain UC claimants are included in the breakdown.Most recent data of August 2021 has been provided in line with the latest available UC Household Statistics.Figures are provisional and subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.

Social Security Benefits: Suicide

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of benefit claimants who have died by suicide in each of the last three years.

Chloe Smith: The department does not make estimates of the number of benefit claimants who have died by suicide. Coroners have responsibility for concluding a person’s cause or circumstance of death. They can investigate where the cause of death is unknown. When a Coroner determines that a benefits claimant has taken their own life, there is no general requirement for them to inform the department. The exceptions are when the department is named as an Interested Person at an inquest, or if the Coroner decides to issue the department with a Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) report. The department has received six PFD reports from Coroners since 2013; of these, two were related to suicide. All PFD reports and their responses are published on the Judiciary website.

Department for Work and Pensions: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits for Solihull constituency of her Department's new office at Jago House, Solihull.

Guy Opperman: The Department has seen an increase in demand for its services and as a result, is rapidly expanding the space available, on a temporary basis. This will enable more customers to be served and provide them with the support they need, enabling Work Coaches to provide tailored, face-to-face support in a safe and secure environment. This expansion will drive forward our ambitious £30 billion Plan for Jobs, helping people back into the Labour Market right across the UK. The Department is focusing on locations where they have already been an increased demand for services. The property secured is well positioned in Solihull’s town centre and within close proximity to multiple modes of transport.

Children: Maintenance

Mick Whitley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has assessed the potential merits of increasing child maintenance payments for recipients who have lost between 20 and 25 percent of their gross annual income.

Guy Opperman: Child maintenance is calculated as a percentage of a paying parent’s gross weekly income. The liability is designed to be affordable for paying parents, whilst ensuring that they still contribute a significant proportion of their income to support children they no longer live with.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Farms: Finance

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2021 to Question 13877 on Farms: Finance, if he will publish an update on the membership of the co-steering group.

Victoria Prentis: The Co-design Steering Group includes representatives of local authorities with council farm estates, new entrant farmers, providers of innovation support for new farmers, cooperative and community land organisations and private landowners. A full list of membership will be made available to the hon. Member.

Wood-burning Stoves

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department holds a register of conflicts of interest declared by certification bodies in the wood stove industry.

Jo Churchill: Defra does not hold such a register.

Wood-burning Stoves

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Environment Act 2021 amends the emission limits for appliance exemptions in the wood stove industry.

Jo Churchill: The Environment Act does not amend the emission limits for appliance exemptions in wood burning stoves.

Timber: Heating

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the conclusions of the HETAS report, A review of the impact of domestic combustion on UK air quality, published in September 2019.

Jo Churchill: Domestic burning was identified as a major source of particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions in 2018 in the National Statistics on Emissions of air pollutants in the UK. We have taken steps to cut air pollution from this source by introducing legislation which restricts the sale of the most polluting solid fuels, such as wet wood and traditional house coal, and encouraging the use of cleaner fuels in the home.While we know that it is very difficult to accurately estimate the extent and nature of domestic burning, we are constantly working to improve our data. We published a research report (‘Burning in UK Homes and Gardens’) in December 2020. This involved extensive qualitative and quantitative research to gather further data on people's burning behaviours. A research and measurement study is currently being carried out to improve our emission estimates for domestic combustion.

Air Pollution

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he provide details of when Defra has agreed revisions to application fees for the exemption of an appliance or appliances under the Clean Air Act 1993 in each of the last three years.

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has reviewed audits of application fees for the exemption of an appliance or appliances under the Clean Air Act 1993 in each of the last three years.

Jo Churchill: A fee is applicable to all exemption applications and these fees, which are published online, are reviewed annually by the appointed contractor. Application fees have not been amended in the last three years.There have been no formal annual audits of fees and charges. The contractor is required to provide the Department with a quarterly breakdown of the charges to and payments received from manufacturers and applicants, including explanation of how charges have been determined, and these are scrutinised on receipt.

Wood-burning Stoves

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether consistency with British Standard PD6434:1969, Recommendations for the design and testing of smoke reducing solid fuel burning domestic appliances is considered in assessments of applications for appliance exemptions under the Clean Air Act 1993.

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether there are limits on (a) individual pollutants and (b) emissions from appliances that can be granted exemptions under the Clean Air Act 1993.

Jo Churchill: Testing appliances for exemption focuses on smoke emissions when different fuels are burnt. Exempt appliances are accompanied by a list of suitable fuels for use. For each fuel, the appliance must not exceed emissions of 5 grams of smoke per hour (5g/h).The British Standard PD6434:1969 is used to assess whether appliances can be granted an exemption under the Clean Air Act 1993. This standard sets the protocols and methods for the testing for assessment of smoke emission.

Wood-burning Stoves

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he will take to ensure that only the cleanest wood-burning stoves will be available for sale by 2022.

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to inform consumers of new requirements for wood burning appliances under the Ecodesign Regulations that will enter into force from 1 January 2022.

Jo Churchill: Defra has worked with industry supporting the Ecodesign Ready scheme since 2017. This has enabled consumers to choose Ecodesign-ready stoves ahead of the legislation coming into force in 2022. From January 2022 only Ecodesign-compliant stoves will be able to enter the UK market. The implementation of Ecodesign 2022 will raise standards throughout the country, alongside existing requirements in Smoke Control Areas.A communication campaign initiative was launched in 2020 to encourage solid fuel users to use better quality fuels, get their chimney swept or upgrade their appliances.

Timber

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference page 43 of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics Annual Data for the UK, 2020, Chapters 1 to 7, published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 29 July 2021, where his Department published the study on domestic wood consumption referred to in Note 7 on page 43.

Jo Churchill: The study of domestic wood combustion can be found on our UK-AIR website, accessible through the following URL: https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/reports?report_id=1014 This research allowed Defra to update estimates of the quantity of solid fuels burned in people’s homes and gardens in the UK. These estimates were then used to inform the Digest of UK Energy Statistics for the UK in 2020.

Wood-burning Stoves

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are taken to test solid fuel appliances under the Ecodesign Regulations.

Jo Churchill: Ecodesign requirements for domestic solid fuel appliances are set out in Annex II of the Ecodesign Regulations which can be found at Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/1185 of 24 April 2015 implementing Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to ecodesign requirements for solid fuel local space heaters (Text with EEA relevance) (legislation.gov.uk).The verification procedure to ensure compliance with these requirements is set out in Annex IV.

Wood-burning Stoves

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken protect (a) consumers and (b) public health by standards set by certification bodies in the wood stove industry.

Jo Churchill: Defra has set requirements for burning solid fuels in Smoke Control Areas. Households can either burn authorised solid fuels or use an exempt appliance using only fuels specified by the manufacturer. The introduction of the Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) (England) Regulations 2020 phases out the supply of more polluting fuels, in particular wet wood and coal, and introduces emission limits for all manufactured solid fuels. As air quality is a devolved matter this legislation applies in England only. As of the 1 January 2022, only Eco design-compliant stoves can be placed on the UK market. We are aware that, outside of the appointed certification bodies, there are industry-led certification schemes for domestic stoves which are intended to encourage manufacturers to achieve higher than minimum standards.

Rural Areas: Finance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on financial support for rural communities.

Rebecca Pow: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on a range of issues, including the needs of rural communities.The UK Government is committed to levelling-up across the whole of the United Kingdom to ensure that, as we recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, no community is left behind. The Government will soon publish a White Paper. Rural areas are already benefitting from levelling up. The Government has put in place a broad range of support across the UK, including in rural areas which includes funding awarded through the Community Renewal Fund and Community Ownership Fund.

Water Companies: Incentives

Anthony Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that bonuses paid to senior water company management are aligned with their company’s requirements to meet environmental objectives.

Rebecca Pow: The Board Leadership, Transparency and Governance principles issued by Ofwat set out expectations on transparency of executive pay (see link here: Board leadership, transparency and governance – Ofwat). Water companies are now required by their licence conditions to meet the objectives of the principles, and to demonstrate the link between their performance and performance-pay for executive teams.

Rivers: Safety

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of river safety.

Rebecca Pow: No such recent assessment has been made by Defra. Responsibility for water safety issues is spread across a variety of other Government departments, public bodies (including the Environment Agency, Fire and Rescue Services, and local authorities) and non-governmental organisations (such as navigation authorities and the National Water Safety Forum) to improve safety in and around our rivers and other water bodies, and to ensure people have the knowledge they need to keep themselves safe. For example, the Environment Agency has published guidance on water safety and raises awareness through press releases, and the Department for Education includes development of swimming skills for pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2, which contributes to wider water safety.

Sustainable Development: Urban Areas

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has he made of the effectiveness of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in providing a framework for towns, cities, and communities in the UK to become more sustainable in policy areas for which his Department is responsible.

Rebecca Pow: The Environment Act 2021 provides a framework for local authorities to support their towns, cities and communities by improving air and water quality, tackling waste, increasing recycling, halting the decline of species, and improving our natural environment. These will contribute significantly to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in the UK and our aims to level up the country. The Environment Act will deliver long-term targets to improve air quality, biodiversity (to halt the decline of nature by 2030), water, and waste reduction and resource efficiency. These will in turn support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 15 (Life on Land), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), 13 (Climate Action), as well as 14 (Life Below Water). This work is further supported by the UK’s Net Zero Strategy and the Resources and Waste Strategy.

Agriculture: Trade Agreements

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Ministers in his Department have carried out official visits to Shropshire in the last 12 months to discuss the impact of trade deals, including on local farming communities.

Victoria Prentis: While no official visits have been carried out, Ministers have engaged (both online and in person) with hon. Members and farmers across Shropshire to discuss the agricultural transition plan, the impact of trade deals and other issues.

Home Office

Home Office: Official Hospitality

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any social events took place between three or more people within her Departmental buildings between (a) 5 November 2020 and 1 December 2020 and (b) 16 December 2020 and 22 February 2021.

Damian Hinds: This information is not collected. At the time, staff were expected to work from home and undertake meetings remotely, wherever possible.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Zimbabwe

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing trained HGV drivers from Zimbabwe to take up residency in the UK to help alleviate the shortage of HGV drivers.

Kevin Foster: The Department for Transport are leading measures to address shortages, including ramping up testing capacity, alongside encouraging employers to tackle longstanding issues in the sector through more investment in skills and training, along with better pay and working conditions (including facilities). These measures are a more effective solution to issues facing the sector, rather than immigration – especially given the current global shortage of drivers. Turning to those who have trained as a HGV Driver in Zimbabwe, they would be unable to drive a HGV vehicle on UK roads unless they also held a UK, EEA or Swiss driving licence for the relevant category of HGV vehicle. These are the only licences recognised in the UK for this purpose.

Passports: Delivery Services

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether officials in her Department have had discussions with representatives of TNT about complaints in respect of their passport delivery service.

Kevin Foster: Complaint information provides key insight to help identify and inform potential improvements to the services provided by Her Majesty’s Passport Office and its suppliers.Complaints are therefore routinely discussed in the regular meetings held between HM Passport Office and FedEx (the parent company of TNT).

Passports: Delivery Services

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of complaints in respect of the delivery of passports since TNT became the delivery provider.

Kevin Foster: The percentage of complaints about UK deliveries of passports and supporting documents is 0.02% between January and November 2021.This compares to 0.02% in 2019 which was the last full year prior to the commencement of the current contract.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of Afghans who arrived under Operation Pitting have received Indefinite Leave to Remain.

Kevin Foster: In view of the urgency of the situation the majority of those who entered the UK during the evacuation phase were initially granted limited leave to enter with access to public funds and employment. This status is not a bar to them being permanently housed or to starting their life in the UK, including taking employment. The Home Office has now started the process to support them in applying for and being granted Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). Our aim is to conclude this process before individuals’ leave to remain expires. All those evacuated will be provided with ILR. Communications have been issued advising individuals of next steps to progress permanent residence in the UK. They also provide links to guidance and information on how prospective employers and landlords can contact the Home Office to confirm individuals’ right to take employment and rented accommodation. More information can be found in the Afghanistan Resettlement and Immigration Policy Statementhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghanistan-resettlement-and-immigration-policy-statement/afghanistan-resettlement-and-immigration-policy-statement-accessible-version#afghan-relocations-and-assistance-policy

Asylum

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to (a) maintain existing and (b) open new safe and legal routes to asylum in the UK.

Kevin Foster: While there is no provision within our Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to seek asylum or temporary refuge, the UK has a long history of supporting people in need of protection. Our resettlement schemes have provided safe and legal routes for tens of thousands of people to start new lives in the UK.Since 2015, we have resettled more than 25,000 refugees through safe and legal routes direct from regions of conflict and instability - around half of whom were children. The UK continues to welcome refugees through the global UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Mandate Resettlement Scheme and Community Sponsorship Scheme. Additionally, as part of our response to the crisis in Afghanistan, the Government has announced the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) which will bring up to 20,000 people at risk fleeing Afghanistan to safety in the UK.In addition to our resettlement schemes, we have provided safe and legal routes for tens of thousands of people thorough our refugee family reunion route, Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) for those who heroically supported our armed forces in Afghanistan and the British National (Overseas) visa route for those affected by draconian laws restricting rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.The Government’s New Plan for Immigration will see us continue to provide safe and legal routes for those in fear of persecution and oppression in their home country.

Police: Fraud

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police staff in England and Wales were dedicated to working on fraud cases as of (a) 1 January 2017, (b) 1 January 2018, (c) 1 January 2019, (d) 1 January 2020, (e) 1 January 2021 and (f) 9 December 2021.

Damian Hinds: The Home Office collects and publishes data annually on the primary role of officers, staff and PCSOs in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-walesFunction 7c – “Investigations (Economic Crime)” - includes officers, staff, and PCSOs working primarily in the following roles:Financial Investigation Unit – responsible for investigation of all confiscation cases, deal with cash seizures over £1,000 and investigate drug trafficking and money laundering offences.Cheque and credit card fraud unit, responsible for processing all reports of theft / misuse of chequebooks and credit / debit cards.Regional Asset Recovery Team – dealing with confiscation cases but on a regional basis.All Financial Investigators.POCA (proceeds of Crime Act) moneyTables F1, F2 and F3 of the data tables that accompany the police workforce statistics contain this information, and are available in each annual publication here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales

Sexual Offences: Crime Prevention

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of her Department's policies to tackle sexual offences against women and girls.

Rachel Maclean: Rape and sexual violence are devastating crimes that have a long-lasting impact on victims. Preventing these crimes and supporting victims and survivors of sexual violence is a key priority for this Government.In June we published the End-to-End Rape Review Findings and Action Plan. Through the Review we took a hard and honest look at how the entire criminal justice system deals with rape, and in too many instances it simply has not been good enough. We are committed to delivering improvements – transforming support for victims, ensuring cases are investigated fully and pursued rigorously through the courts.The Action Plan recognised that greater accountability and transparency would be critical in driving improvements to the system. On 9 December we published our first Progress Report and quarterly ‘scorecard’ on adult rape cases. The scorecard brings together data to increase public transparency and help identify performance issues so they can be addressed head-on. The scorecard can be found here: https://data.justice.gov.uk/cjs-scorecard-adult-rape.The Progress Report shows we’re on track with many actions, but it will take time for the effects to be seen in figures like crime outcomes.In addition, this year, the Home Office is providing nearly £200k to the National Sexual Violence Support Fund to support victims and survivors of rape and sexual violence. And the Ministry of Justice has increased core funding for rape support centres by 50%, from £8 million to £12 million per year and extended the Rape Support Fund until March 2023 to ensure support services have the funding stability they need.

Hate Crime: Females

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has plans to classify attacks based on incel misogyny as hate crimes triggering longer sentences.

Rachel Maclean: The Law Commission’s review of hate crime laws was commissioned by the Government in 2018. This review examined the coverage and approach of existing hate crime legislation, including consideration of whether other protective characteristics, such as sex and age, should be included. The Law Commission published its final recommendations on 7 December.We are grateful to the Law Commission for the detailed consideration it has given to its review.The Government will consider its proposals carefully and respond to the recommendations in due course.

Animal Experiments: Scotland

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2021 to Question 80330 on Animal Experiments: Scotland, if she will provide the estimated and specific breakdown of costs for providing extracted data for Scotland from the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2020, published by her Department on 15 July 2021.

Damian Hinds: Extracting data for Scotland could only be done at disproportionate cost, so we are unable to provide the data originally requested.

Migrants: Finance

David Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the annual saving to the public purse of the no recourse to public funds policy.

Tom Pursglove: The NRPF condition applies to most temporary migrants in the UK who are here lawfully, such as those on work and study visas, and to migrants in the UK unlawfully. The Home Office does not hold data on the total population present in the UK who are subject to NRPF and the Home Office’s Chief Statistician wrote to the Office for Statistics Regulation last July to explain the reasons for this in more detail. His letter can be found at:https://osr.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/correspondence/response-from-daniel-shaw-to-ed-humpherson-parliamentary-question-response/.It is not feasible for the Home Office to collect data on whether a migrant with the NRPF condition would have applied for public funds should the condition not have been applied to them; it is therefore not possible to reliably estimate the annual saving to the public purse of the policy as a whole. Savings to the public purse are broadly achieved by only facilitating access to public funds for those with indefinite leave to remain (i.e. settled or permanent residence), refugees and protected persons, and those granted discretionary leave.

Business: Cybercrime

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many businesses have been victims of criminal cyber attacks in each of the last five years.

Damian Hinds: It is not possible to provide the number of businesses who have been victims of criminal cyber attacks as the Home Office does not collate this information.The Cyber Security Breaches Survey estimates the % of businesses each year that have reported a cyber security breach or attack. This surveys approximately 1,000 businesses per year.The Cyber Security Breaches Survey includes businesses with 1 or more employees. Therefore these figures do not include sole traders. These estimates also exclude SIC A/ Agriculture as this sector is excluded from the Cyber Security Breaches Survey.

Motorcycles: Antisocial Behaviour and Crime

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of trends in the levels of anti-social behaviour and crime associated with off-road bikes in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England in (i) each of the last five years and (ii) during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle anti-social behaviour and crime associated with off-road bikes; and what plans she has to address the difficulties the police encounter in (a) pursuing, (b) identifying suspects and (c) seizing off-road bikes that are being used illegally.

Kit Malthouse: The Government is committed to tackling and preventing all forms of anti-social behaviour (ASB). We provided the police, local authorities, and other local agencies with a range of tools and powers that they can flexibly use to respond quickly and effectively to ASB through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, gives those responsible the ability to deal with anti-social incidents involving off-road bikes. Local areas decide how best to deploy these powers depending on the specific circumstances.Home Office statutory guidance, which was updated this year, supports all local agencies in using these powers and in taking the multi-agency approach that is needed to tackle and prevent anti-social behaviour in a way that takes account of the needs of the victim and the wider community.The Beating Crime Plan published on 27 July laid out the Government’s commitment to drive down levels of crime and anti-social behaviour.The Home Office does not hold any data for ASB or Crimes associated with off-road bikes.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference the recommendations of the Independent Review of Drugs by Dame Carol Black published on 27 July 2021, whether all of those recommendations have been adopted and included in the policy paper From harm to hope: A 10-year drugs plan to cut crime and save lives published on 6 December 2021.

Kit Malthouse: Dame Carol Black’s Independent Review of Drugs Part II recommended a long-term approach to drugs delivered by the whole of government, with large-scale investment and changes to oversight and accountability.The Government’s 10-year Drugs Strategy is a comprehensive response to Dame Carol’s review. As detailed in the plan, the Government is committed to adopting all of the key recommendations within the review using a whole system approach and goes even further with a longer-term commitment to delivering a world-class treatment and recovery system.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what comparative assessment she had made of (a) the increased funding for drug treatment and wider recovery support recommended by Dame Carol Black in the Independent Review of Drugs published on 27 July 2021 and (b) the funding proposals in the Policy paper entitled From harm to hope: A 10-year drugs plan to cut crime and save lives published on 6 December 2021.

Kit Malthouse: Dame Carol Black’s review has underpinned development of ‘From harm to hope: A 10-year drugs plan to cut crime and save lives’ and the allocation of additional funding it commits to, including increased funding for treatment and wider recovery support.The plan represents an ambitious, 10-year generational commitment to work across government to address illegal drug use. It is underpinned by a record investment of nearly £900 million of dedicated funding on combating illicit drug use over the Spending Review period, taking the total investment over three years to £3 billion.This includes an additional investment of £780m over the next three years to create a world-class treatment and recovery system. This marks the largest ever increase in treatment and recovery funding.The plan also committed to £300 million of dedicated funding over three-years to break drugs supply chains and an additional £30 million to take quick and decisive action to reduce the use of drugs recreationally and set the framework for the next decade.

British Nationality

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people born in the UK who had their British citizenship removed in each year since 2002 (a) had dual nationality and (b) belonged to an ethnic minority.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office publishes data relating to those deprived of British Citizenship. Statistics are available from May 2010.Figures for conducive deprivation orders, which are made under Section 40(2) of the 1981 British Nationality Act, have been published as part of the HM Government Transparency Report: Disruptive and Investigatory Powers. Four reports have been published to date in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2020:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hm-government-transparency-report-on-the-use-of-disruptive-and-investigatory-powershttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disruptive-and-investigatory-powers-hm-government-transparency-reporthttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disruptive-and-investigatory-powers-transparency-report-2018https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transparency-report-disruptive-powers-2018-to-2019Section 40(3) of the 1981 British Nationality Act, allows for deprivation of citizenship where fraud, false representation or concealment of material facts have been used to obtain British citizenship. Since February 2020 these figures have been published via the Transparency report on asylum data, which can be found using the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-transparency-data-february-2020

British Nationality

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many have people born in the UK have had their British citizenship removed in each year since 2002.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office publishes data relating to those deprived of British Citizenship. Statistics are available from May 2010.Figures for conducive deprivation orders, which are made under Section 40(2) of the 1981 British Nationality Act, have been published as part of the HM Government Transparency Report: Disruptive and Investigatory Powers. Four reports have been published to date in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2020:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hm-government-transparency-report-on-the-use-of-disruptive-and-investigatory-powershttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disruptive-and-investigatory-powers-hm-government-transparency-reporthttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disruptive-and-investigatory-powers-transparency-report-2018https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transparency-report-disruptive-powers-2018-to-2019Section 40(3) of the 1981 British Nationality Act, allows for deprivation of citizenship where fraud, false representation or concealment of material facts have been used to obtain British citizenship. Since February 2020 these figures have been published via the Transparency report on asylum data, which can be found using the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-transparency-data-february-2020

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Official Hospitality

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether any social events took place between three or more people within his Departmental buildings between (a) 5 November 2020 and 1 December 2020 and (b) 16 December 2020 and 22 February 2021.

Eddie Hughes: This information is not collected. At the time, staff were expected to work from home and undertake meetings remotely, wherever possible.

Retail Trade: Non-domestic Rates

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many retail properties in (a) Barrow in Furness, (b) Bolton, (c) Blyth, (d) Carlisle, (e) Darlington, (f) Hartlepool, (g) Hyndburn, (h) Leeds, (i) Mansfield, (j) North East Lincolnshire, (k) Portsmouth, (l) Stoke-on-Trent, (m) Sunderland, (n) Torbay, (o) Wakefield, (p) Walsall and (q) Wolverhampton would have still, in the absence of short-term covid reliefs, had the benefit of downward revaluations on 1 April 2017 reduced by downward transition limits in each of (i) 2017-2018, (ii) 2018-2019, (iii) 2019-2020, (iv) 2020-2021 and (v) 2021-2022.

Kemi Badenoch: The Department does not collect information on which specific properties are eligible for transitional relief.

Local Government: Meetings

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has had with the Local Government Association on the emergence of Omicron and the number of councils who have had to (a) cancel meetings, (b) restrict attendance and (c) reduce items for discussion in an attempt to reduce the risks of transmission.

Kemi Badenoch: I held a round table which representatives of the Local Government Association attended, and a webinar which all local authority Leaders and Chief Executives were invited to last week where this issue was raised.The Department is reviewing the responses to the consultation on council remote meetings and the Government will respond shortly. Any permanent change would require primary legislation, and would depend upon Parliamentary time being available.

Local Government: Meetings

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has plans to reintroduce remote meeting options for local authorities in response to the Omicron variant and Plan B restrictions announced on 8 December 2021.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will bring forward legislation to enable local authorities to undertake remote meetings following the guidance issued on 8 December 2021 to work from home.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the implications for its policies of the results of the Local Government Association survey of councils, conducted before the emergency of the Omicron covid-19 variant, on the impact of returning exclusively to in-person local authority meetings.

Kemi Badenoch: The Department is reviewing the responses to the consultation and the Government will respond shortly. Any permanent change would require primary legislation, and would depend upon Parliamentary time being available.

Members: Correspondence

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for West Lancashire of 17 July 2021, reference ZA57019, addressed to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and transferred to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on or before the 15 September 2021, in relation to obesity concerns.

Kemi Badenoch: A response to the Hon Member's letter has been issued.

Leasehold: Reform

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the oral contribution of the former Secretary of State of 11 January 2021, Official Report, column 131-132WH, what progress has been made on implementing the recommendations on leasehold reform referred to in that oral contribution; and what steps his Department is taking to tackle the imposition of unregulated fees on freehold homes.

Eddie Hughes: The Government is committed to promoting fairness and transparency for homeowners and making sure that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service.The former Secretary of State (Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP) announced ambitious reforms covering enfranchisement valuation, 990-year leases, removing the retirement exemption from zero ground rent measures and commonhold on 7 January. This was followed by a Statement in Parliament from the former Secretary of State on 11 January.The announcement is part of Government’s response to the Law Commission’s reports and we will respond to their remaining recommendations on enfranchisement, commonhold and right to manage in due course.The Government has since established the “Commonhold Council” as a partnership of industry, homeowners and Government that will help prepare consumers and the market for widespread take-up of commonhold.We have also introduced the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Bill, currently in Parliament. The Ground Rent Bill is the first of major two-part legislation to reform the leasehold system in this Parliament. We aim to legislate further on wider reforms within this Parliament.The Government also intends to give freeholders on private and mixed tenure estates equivalent rights to leaseholders to challenge the reasonableness of estate rentcharges, as well as a right to apply to the First-tier Tribunal to appoint a new manager to manage the provision of services. In addition, we will ensure that where a freeholder pays a rentcharge, the rentcharge owner is not able to take possession or grant a lease on the property where the rentcharge remains unpaid for a short period of time. We will translate these measures into law when parliamentary time allows.

Sleeping Rough: Coronavirus

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the success of district councils on implementing the Everyone In campaign in the early stages of the covid-19 outbreak.

Eddie Hughes: Councils have made a tremendous effort working with their local partners to support those experiencing rough sleeping throughout the pandemic and I would like to thank them wholeheartedly for their efforts.The Annual Rough Sleeping Snapshot for 2020 published on 25 February showed there were 2,688 people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2020, which is a 37% decrease from the previous year.Our work to support people off the streets and protect the most vulnerable from COVID-19 continues and we are committed to ending rough sleeping for good. The Government is spending more than £800 million to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping this year alone.

Urban Areas: Sustainable Development

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to support sustainability initiatives in towns, cities, and local communities across the UK.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to support new sustainability initiatives in towns, cities, and local communities across the UK.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in providing a framework for towns, cities, and communities to become more sustainable.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to use the Sustainable Development Goals to help communities become more sustainable.

Eddie Hughes: In July 2021, we published a revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to explicitly refer to the 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development as a widely-recognised statement of sustainable development objectives, to which the UK has subscribed. At the heart of the NPPF is the presumption in favour of sustainable development. This means that all plans should promote sustainable patterns of growth to meet the local need, align growth and infrastructure; improve the environment; mitigate climate change and adapt to its effects.The National Model Design Code sets out a process for engaging local communities to create homes, buildings and public places which are safe, inclusive and accessible. It includes design parameters around mitigating and adapting to climate change, including the use of green infrastructure, sustainable drainage systems and encouraging active transport through design.

Luton Airport: Planning Permission

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will urgently acknowledge the multiple call-in requests for Luton Council planning application reference 21/00031/VARCON, which would permit expansion of operations at Luton Airport; and if he will issue a Section 31 holding direction while he reviews these requests. .

Christopher Pincher: Following receipt of a number of requests to call in this application to amend an existing permission, these will be considered against call-in policy, alongside the need for an Article 31 Direction, and a decision will be announced in due course.Article 31 directions are an administrative tool which prevent local authorities from issuing a final decision on a planning application while advice on call-in requests is being prepared by officials and considered by Ministers. Once a decision on call-in has been made and communicated, the directions cease to have effect.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Official Hospitality

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether any social events took place between three or more people within his Departmental buildings between (a) 5 November 2020 and 1 December 2020 and (b) 16 December 2020 and 22 February 2021.

Mr Alister Jack: This information is not collected. At the time, staff were expected to work from home and undertake meetings remotely, wherever possible.

Storms: Scotland

Duncan Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support provided by the Government to people in Scotland affected by Storm Arwen.

Mr Alister Jack: One of the main impacts of both Storm Arwen and Storm Barra was disruption to electricity networks. The UK Government worked closely with local network operators to provide support, particularly to the most vulnerable. Our fantastic British armed forces responded rapidly to a request from Aberdeenshire Council, and service personnel were deployed door-to-door, providing a lifeline to many.

Devolution: Scotland

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the (a) Levelling Up Fund and (b) Shared Prosperity Fund on the devolution settlement for Scotland.

Iain Stewart: We have a responsibility to support economic growth UK-wide. This year the Levelling Up Fund has delivered over £170m to locally championed Scottish projects, with MPs Scotland-wide supporting these applications.The £2.6bn UK Shared Prosperity Fund will launch next year building on this success to support communities in every corner of our UK.

Scotland Office: Apprentices

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps he is taking to increase the number of apprentices in his Department.

Iain Stewart: We have, and have had, a number of apprentices in the Department.We remain committed to apprenticeships as part of a modern employment route into the Civil Service and across the wider economy.This year we also had a number of diversity interns as part of a wider Civil Service scheme.

Energy: Scotland

Margaret Ferrier: What discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues on the impact of energy price rises on Scottish businesses.

Iain Stewart: I regularly discuss issues of importance to Scotland with Cabinet colleagues, including the impact on businesses of recent global energy price rises.Energy security is an absolute priority for this Government and we continue to actively monitor market activity and prices.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Official Hospitality

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether any social events took place between three or more people within his Departmental buildings between (a) 5 November 2020 and 1 December 2020 and (b) 16 December 2020 and 22 February 2021.

Conor Burns: The Northern Ireland Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Official Hospitality

Alex Davies-Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether any social events took place between three or more people within her Departmental buildings between (a) 5 November 2020 and 1 December 2020 and (b) 16 December 2020 and 22 February 2021.

Mike Freer: The Department for International Trade has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Type 26 Frigates: Exports

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate he has made of the export value of the Type 26 frigate in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mike Freer: The Type 26/Global Combat Ship is a formidable design with significant potential for export. Australia and Canada have both selected a variant of the T26 for their anti-submarine frigate programmes, which is expected to result in substantial economic and security benefits. However, as the commercial arrangements are ongoing, the Department for International Trade is not yet able to provide the requested export value.

Department for International Trade: Theft

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many of her Department's (a) laptops, (b) mobile phones, (c) memory sticks and (d) external hard drives have been lost or stolen in each of the last five years.

Mike Freer: The number of laptops and mobile phones that were lost and stole in the last 4 years are below: LaptopMobile Phone LostStolenLostStolen20188419720199167317202045446202155383These numbers cover the End User Compute managed service project for the Department for International Trade which started in February 2018 so records prior to that are not available. We have no record of any lost or stolen memory stick or external hard drives.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Broadband: Infrastructure

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the press release of 3 December 2021 entitled Building Digital UK to become executive agency of DCMS, what assessment she has made of how that reform will improve the delivery of investment in broadband infrastructure.

Julia Lopez: Building Digital UK (BDUK) has historically delivered spending commitments as a directorate within the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.However, the government’s agenda for broadband infrastructure has scaled up dramatically, to include the ambitious £5bn Project Gigabit investment. Establishing BDUK as an Executive Agency will drive further effective delivery through:Governance and accountability: As an Executive Agency, the BDUK Board will be formalised and chaired by a Non Executive and comprise a Non Executive majority. This will ensure BDUK receives expert independent challenge and advice. Accountability will remain within the central department; DCMS will robustly challenge and hold BDUK to account.Operational autonomy: BDUK will have pre-defined operational autonomy to focus on the capabilities and processes essential to the delivery of its commitments, whilst DCMS will provide an appropriate level of oversight and second line assurance.Furthermore, this transition will enable BDUK to expand its operations to create new jobs, boost economic growth and level up communities that are most in need.The intention is for BDUK to be established as an Executive Agency in April 2022, at the start of the new financial year, ahead of a significant ramp up in programme delivery planned in 2022/23. Following the launch of the Executive Agency in April 2022, BDUK and DCMS will follow a ‘glide path’ or transitioning period through the first half of 2022/23 to embed ‘end state’ ways of working.

Women and Equalities

Conversion Therapy: Gender Recognition

Ben Bradley: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how the Government's proposals for a legislative ban on conversion therapy will safeguard the right to offer legitimate support, therapy or challenge to those who might be questioning their gender, and particularly for under-18s, in order to ensure that they have fully considered and explored their options.

Mike Freer: All people need to be able to have open and explorative conversations that allow them to come to the right decision for themselves. The Government’s view is that an act of talking conversion therapy has the intent of changing a person to being something they are not. A supportive conversation is one that does not pressure that person into any particular outcome. Parents, clinicians and teachers will of course continue to be able to have conversations with young people or others about their sexual orientation or whether they are transgender or not.Under our proposals, people who are transgender or are exploring their transgender status, including under-18s, will also remain able to access the support they need from qualified health professionals without change. Our proposals will complement the existing clinical regulatory framework and not override the independence of clinicians to offer support in line with professional obligations.We are engaging with a wide range of relevant stakeholders on this issue and will work with the relevant authorities to ensure that our legislative interventions operate effectively.

Prime Minister

Lord Brownlow of Shurlock Row

Angela Rayner: To ask the Prime Minister, with reference to the Electoral Commission investigation report of 9 December 2021, whether his WhatsApp messages to Lord Brownlow of 29 November 2020 were sent from his official mobile phone.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Prime Minister, what plans he has to request the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests reopens his investigation into his declaration of interests in relation to donations towards the refurbishment of his flat in Downing Street.

Boris Johnson: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answers given by my Official Spokesperson following the report’s publication.